<H3>• U.S. Initial Unemployment Claims Down 4k </H3> [Jobless]

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In the week ending May 4, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 323,000, a decrease of 4,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 327,000 and down 11.7% from the same week a year ago. The 4-week moving average was 336,750, a decrease of 6,250 from the previous week's revised average of 343,000. The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.3 percent for the week ending April 27, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending April 20 were in Alaska (5.2), Puerto Rico (4.4), Connecticut (3.5), New Jersey (3.4), New Mexico (3.3), Rhode Island (3.3), Wisconsin (3.3), California (3.2), Pennsylvania (3.2), and Illinois (3.1) The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending April 27 were in Illinois (+1,744), Oregon (+1,244), New Hampshire (+765), Arkansas (+455), and Maine (+379), while the largest decreases were in California (-3,721), Michigan (-2,993), Wisconsin (-2,623), Massachusetts (-2,487), and Florida (-2,062). Note: “Insured unemployment rate” refers to individuals who are unemployed and receiving UC benefits. Source: USDOL-BLS

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