by Calculated Risk on 12/16/2010 08:30:00 AM

The DOL reports on weekly unemployment insurance claims:

In the week ending Dec. 11, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 420,000, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 423,000. The 4-week moving average was 422,750, a decrease of 5,250 from the previous week's revised average of 428,000.

Click on graph for larger image in new window.

This graph shows the 4-week moving average of weekly claims since January 2000.

The dashed line on the graph is the current 4-week average. The four-week average of weekly unemployment claims decreased this week by 5,250 to 422,750.

This is the lowest level for the 4-week moving average since the first week in August 2008. The level is still high, but the decline in the 4-week average is good news.