Initial Jobless Claims Remain low but…
Initial Jobless Claims (week ended 10/8/2016)
– New Claims seasonally adjusted 246,000. Previous was 246,000
– New Claims unadjusted, totaled 237,407 an increase of 36,951 from previous
– 4-week Moving Average 249,250. Previous was 253,500
Initial Claims remain near historic low while the bigger picture of the jobs market as contained in the BLS report and the Fed’s Labor Market Conditions Index remain weak. This should be a reminded that layoffs are only a small part of the monthly movement into and out of the jobs market. Last month about 3 times as many people lost their jobs as there were Jobless Claims. Most of those were temp jobs not eligible for unemployment insurance.
Import and Export Prices (September 2016)
– Import Prices month/month +0.1%. Previous was -0.2%
– Export Prices month/month +0.3%. Previous was -0.8%
– Import Prices year/year -1.1%. Previous was -2.2%
– Export Prices year/year -1.5%. Previous was -2.4%
Excluding petroleum, import prices were unchanged.