In the week ending March 12, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 214,000, a decrease of 15,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised up by 2,000 from 227,000 to 229,000. The 4-week moving average was 223,000, a decrease of 8,750 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was revised up by 500 from 231,250 to 231,750.
emphasis added
The following graph shows the 4-week moving average of weekly claims since 1971.
The dashed line on the graph is the current 4-week average. The four-week average of weekly unemployment claims increased to 231,250.
The previous week was revised up.
Weekly claims were lower than the consensus forecast.