by Calculated Risk on 4/19/2007 10:50:00 AM

From the Department of Labor:

In the week ending April 14, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 339,000, a decrease of 4,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 343,000. The 4-week moving average was 328,750, an increase of 5,250 from the previous week's revised average of 323,500.

Click on graph for larger image.

This graph shows the four moving average weekly unemployment claims since 1968. Although the four week moving average has recently been trending upwards, the level is still low and not much of a concern.