Initial jobless claims came in at a seasonally adjusted 218,000 for the week ending October 26, a gain of 5,000 and higher than the consensus forecast. However, the 4-week average decreased by 500 to 214,750.
Forecasts ranged from a low of 203,000 to a high of 217,000. The consensus forecast was 215,000.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was unchanged at a very low 1.2% for the week ending October 19. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment for the week ending October 19 was 1,690,000, an increase of 7,000.
The 4-week moving average was 1,686,250, an increase of 8,750.
No state was triggered “on” the Extended Benefits program during the week ending October 12.
The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending October 12 were in Puerto Rico (2.0), Alaska (1.8), New Jersey (1.8), California (1.5), Connecticut (1.5), the Virgin Islands (1.5), Pennsylvania (1.4), Illinois (1.3), Washington (1.3), and West Virginia (1.3).
The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending October 19 were in Oregon (+418), Ohio (+358), Iowa (+179), North Carolina (+155), and Hawaii (+148), while the largest decreases were in New York (-2,931), Texas (-1,284), Michigan (-1,087), Oklahoma (-1,052), and California (-991).
