US jobless claims come in ahead of expectations

13th Aug 2026 12:35

(Sharecast News) - Americans lined up for unemployment benefits at an accelerated pace in the week ended 8 August, according to the Labor Department, with initial claims coming in ahead of Wall Street estimates.

Initial claims rose by 9,000 to 209,000 ahead of expectations for a reading of 202,000, while the four-week moving average, which aims to strip out week-to-week volatility, was unchanged week-on-week at 199,000. Meanwhile, continuing claims declined by 22,000 to 1.77m

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate came to 1.2% for the week ended 1 August, unchanged from the previous week's unrevised rate.

Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com