<H3>• U.S. Initial Unemployment Claims – 04 October 2014 </H3>

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In the week ending October 4, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 287,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 287,000 to 288,000. The 4-week moving average was 287,750, a decrease of 7,250 from the previous week's revised average. This is the lowest level for this average since February 4, 2006 when it was 286,500. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 294,750 to 295,000. The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.8 percent for the week ending September 27, unchanged from the previous week's unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending September 27 was 2,381,000, a decrease of 21,000 from the previous week's revised level. The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending September 20 were in Puerto Rico (3.5), Alaska (2.9), New Jersey (2.7), Virgin Islands (2.7), California (2.4), Connecticut (2.4), Nevada (2.3), Pennsylvania (2.2), Massachusetts (2.0), Illinois (1.9), Maryland (1.9), and Rhode Island (1.9). The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending September 27 were in New Jersey (+615), Indiana (+482), Washington (+345), Idaho (+340), and Georgia (+148), while the largest decreases were in California (-7,715), Michigan (-2,082), New York (-719), Texas (-635), and Florida (-517). Note: “Insured unemployment rate” refers to individuals who are unemployed and receiving UC benefits. See the complete report at this link: USDOL-BLS NOTE: This report is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in providing legal, financial, accounting or other professional advice. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Furthermore, while we do our best to ensure that these data are accurate, we suggest that any entity making decisions based on these numbers should verify the data at their source prior to making such decisions.

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