PiCK

US initial jobless claims at 205,000…below estimates

JOON HYOUNG LEE

Summary

The US Department of Labor said initial jobless claims totaled 205,000 last week, 10,000 below the forecast of 215,000.
Continuing claims came in at 1,857,000, up 10,000 from the prior week’s revised figure and 7,000 above the market estimate of 1,850,000.
Analysts said they are monitoring jobless claims and other employment indicators to gauge the impact of US President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.

Forecast Trend Report by Period

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

The US Department of Labor said on the 19th (local time) that initial jobless claims totaled 205,000 last week. That was 10,000 below the consensus forecast of 215,000. It was also down 8,000 from the prior week’s 213,000.

Continuing claims—filed for a second consecutive week—were 1,857,000. That was 10,000 higher than the prior week’s revised 1,847,000. It was 7,000 above the market estimate of 1,850,000.

Initial claims are a gauge of tightness in the US labor market. A rise in claims can be interpreted as a sign the overheated labor market is cooling.

Analysts are closely 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.

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