In the week ending May 4, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 231,000, an increase of 22,000
from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised up by 1,000 from 208,000 to 209,000. The
4-week moving average was 215,000, an increase of 4,750 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous
week’s average was revised up by 250 from 210,000 to 210,250.
emphasis added
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 215,000.
The previous week was revised up.
Weekly claims were much higher than the consensus forecast.