Initial Jobless Claims
a.k.a. Initial claims, Weekly jobless claims
The weekly US count of people filing for unemployment benefits for the first time, a timely read on layoffs.
In plain English
The weekly US count of people filing for unemployment benefits for the first time, a timely read on layoffs.
Initial jobless claims come out every Thursday from the US Labor Department. Because they are weekly, they are one of the freshest signs of whether layoffs are rising.
Single weeks are noisy, so traders watch the four-week average. A sustained climb can warn that the job market is turning.
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