by Calculated Risk on 9/23/2010 08:30:00 AM

The DOL reports on weekly unemployment insurance claims:

In the week ending Sept. 18, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 465,000, an increase of 12,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 453,000. The 4-week moving average was 463,250, a decrease of 3,250 from the previous week's revised average of 466,500.

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 3,250 to 463,250.

The 4-week moving average has been moving sideways at an elevated level for about 10 months - and that suggests a weak job market.