The DOL reports:
In the week ending September 14, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 309,000, an increase of 15,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 294,000. The 4-week moving average was 314,750, a decrease of 7,000 from the previous week’s revised average of 321,750.
The previous week was revised up from 292,000.
The following graph shows the 4-week moving average of weekly claims since January 2000.
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 decreased to 314,750.
The 4-week average is at the lowest level since October 2007 (before the recession started). Claims were below the 341,000 consensus forecast.
Here is a long term graph of the 4-week average of weekly unemployment claims back to 1971.