ECONOMIC INDICATORS
Jobless claims show US still creating jobs
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits fall to the lowest level since February
Washington — The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, touching a nearly five-month low, suggesting another month of strong job growth. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell 15,000 to a seasonally adjusted 233,000 for the week ended July 15, the labour department said on Thursday. That was the lowest level since February, when claims fell to 227,000, the best reading since March 1973. Data for the prior week were revised to show 1,000 more applications than previously reported. Economists had forecast claims falling to 245,000. It was the 124th consecutive week that claims remained below 300,000, a threshold associated with a robust labour market. That is the longest such stretch since 1970, when the labour market was smaller. The labour market is near full employment, with the jobless rate at 4.4%. A labour department official said no special factors had influenced the claims data and no state had been estimated. The f...
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