by Calculated Risk on 11/05/2015 08:34:00 AM

The DOL reported:

In the week ending October 31, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 276,000, an increase of 16,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 260,000. The 4-week moving average was 262,750, an increase of 3,500 from the previous week's unrevised average of 259,250.

There were no special factors impacting this week's initial claims.

The previous week was unrevised at 260,000.

The following graph shows the 4-week moving average of weekly claims since 1971.

Click on graph for larger image.


The dashed line on the graph is the current 4-week average. The four-week average of weekly unemployment claims increased to 262,750.

This was above the consensus forecast of 262,000, and the low level of the 4-week average suggests few layoffs.