US Jobless Claims Down for Third Straight Week

Source: US Labor Department

The United States opened February will fewer jobless claims, marking the third straight week of declines.

• Seasonally adjusted initial claims for the week ending February 5 stood at 223,000, down by 16,000 from the previous week’s upward revised 239,000.
• The four-week moving average fell by 2,000 to 253,250 from the previous week’s upward revised average of 255,250.
• The insured unemployment rate for the week ending January 29 stood at 1.2%, unchanged from the previous week.
• Insured unemployment for the week was recorded at 1.621 million, unchanged from the previous week.
• The four-week moving average climbed by 16,500 to 1.634 million from the previous week’s downward revised 1.618 million.
• The biggest increases were seen in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Indiana, and Texas.
• The steepest declines were in Ohio, California, Kentucky, Utah, and Alabama.