US initial jobless claims at 208,000, below forecasts

US initial jobless claims last week came in below market expectations.

The US Department of Labor said on the 8th (local time) that initial claims totaled 208,000 last week, 5,000 below economists’ forecast of 213,000. That was up 8,000 from the prior week’s revised figure of 200,000.

Continuing claims, which track filings for a second consecutive week, were 1.914 million. That was 56,000 higher than the prior week’s revised 1.858 million.

Initial jobless claims are a key gauge of overheating in the US labor market. A rise in claims can be interpreted as a sign that an overheated labor market is cooling.

Economists are watching employment indicators such as jobless claims to assess how factors including US President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff policies are affecting corporate decision-making.