<H3>• U.S. Initial Unemployment Claims Down 5k </H3> [Jobless]

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In the week ending June 29, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 343,000, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 348,000 and down 8.3% from the same week a year ago. The 4-week moving average was 345,500, a decrease of 750 from the previous week's revised average of 346,250. The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.3 percent for the week ending June 22, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending June 22 were in Puerto Rico (4.9), Alaska (4.2), New Mexico (3.2), Connecticut (3.1), New Jersey (3.1), Pennsylvania (3.1), California (3.0), Nevada (2.8), Oregon (2.7), and Virgin Islands (2.7). The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending June 22 were in California (+6,181), New Jersey (+4,952), Oregon (+2,076), New York (+1,882), and Massachusetts (+732), while the largest decreases were in Pennsylvania (-4,238), Florida (-2,050), North Carolina (-2,009), Ohio (-1,679), and Kentucky (-1,466). Note: “Insured unemployment rate” refers to individuals who are unemployed and receiving UC benefits. Source: USDOL-BLS

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