Another 1.88 million Americans file initial jobless claims; gold remains higher
Washington (June 4) Another 1.88 million Americans filed for first-time U.S. jobless claims in the week to Saturday, the Labor Department said Thursday.
Gold came into the day stronger and extended its gains after the data. As of 8:37 a.m. EDT, spot gold was $14.30 higher to $1,715.10 an ounce.
Consensus estimates of economists called for initial jobless claims to be around 1.8 million to 1.84 million. The previous week’s 2.12 million claims were revised to 2.13 million.
New weekly claims have been 1.88 million or higher every week since March 21 after the previous all-time high had been 695,000 back in October 1982, according to Labor Department figures. Traders have been closely monitoring jobless claims as a key gauge of the weakness in the economy due to lockdowns and social-distancing measures across the country to combat the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, with many businesses temporarily closing their doors. States are now gradually reopening their economies.
Americans have now filed a total of 40.77 million initial claims since the week of March 21.
The four-week moving average for new claims – normally viewed as a more reliable measure of the labor market since it smooths out week-to-week volatility – fell by 324,750 to 2.28 million.
Continuing jobless claims, which counts the number of people already receiving benefits and reported with a one-week delay, increased by 649,000 to a seasonally adjusted 21.49 million during the week ending May 23, the government said.
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