In the week ending May 18, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 215,000, a decrease of 8,000
from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised up by 1,000 from 222,000 to 223,000. The
4-week moving average was 219,750, an increase of 1,750 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous
week’s average was revised up by 250 from 217,750 to 218,000.
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 219,750.
The previous week was revised up.
Weekly claims were lower than the consensus forecast.