WASHINGTON —The level of initial claims fell by 3,000 to 223,000 in the March 2 week, just below expectations for a 225,000 reading, data released Thursday showed.
Here are some of the key factors from the data:
- The four-week moving average for claims fell by 3,000 to 226,250 in the March 2 week after a decline of 6,750 in the previous week. If the headline holds steady next week, the average would fall by 4,000 to 222,250 as a 239,000 level in the February 9 week rolls out.
- Unadjusted claims rose by 16,969, led by New York, which reported 16,391 additional claims, likely due to the timing of mid-winter break. Continuing claims fell by 50,000 to 1.755 million in the February 23 week, with the four-week moving average rising to 1.767 million.
