WASHINGTON — The level of initial claims fell by 5,000 to 211,000 in the March 23 week. The Bloomberg consensus had expected a 220,000 level, while the MNI survey looked for a 223,000 level.
The four-week moving average for claims fell by 3,250 to 217,250 in the March 23 week after an increase of 750 in the previous week. If the headline holds steady next week, the average would fall by 1,750 to 215,500 as a 218,000 level in the March 2 week rolls out.
Annual revisions were released with the claims data, altering some past history, but generally maintaining the pattern of weekly movements.
Continuing claims rose by 13,000 to 1.756 million in the March 16 employment survey week, down by 17,000 from the February 16 employment survey week.
