Initial Unemployment claims up - at 329,000 for latest week

[papau]

http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/ui/current.htm

December 15, 2005 UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA

In the week ending Dec. 10, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 329,000, an increase of 1,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 328,000. The 4-week moving average was 328,750, an increase of 6,000 from the previous week's revised average of 322,750.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.0 percent for the week ending Dec. 3, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate of 2.0 percent.

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending Dec. 3 was 2,606,000, an increase of 21,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 2,585,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,682,250, a decrease of 39,750 from the preceding week's revised average of 2,722,000.

UNADJUSTED DATA

The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 389,130 in the week ending Dec. 10, a decrease of 55,244 from the previous week. There were 370,604 initial claims in the comparable week in 2004.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.0 percent during the week ending Dec. 3, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,553,677, a decrease of 142,264 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 2.1 percent and the volume was 2,684,337.


Extended benefits were available in Louisiana during the week ending Nov. 26

[papau]

1. Inflation "core" rate steady at 0.2%

Excluding fuel and food, prices rose 0.2 percent for a second month, supporting the Federal Reserve's view that inflation is ``low.''

[Lindacooks]

2. Why in the world do they exclude the two most important

factors in inflation? That's where people who are just getting by see the most affect.

[hatrack]

5. Simple - it allows them to limit COLAs for public & private sector workers

Retirees, too.

It's the same statistical sleight-of-hand that allows them to chirp about our low, low unemployment rate when the measure they use includes you in the ranks of the "employed" if you work one hour a week and excludes you once your unemployment benefits run out.

If they were using U6, our "official" unemployment rate would be about 8 - 8.5% - pretty much in line with those "stagnant" EU economies.

On edit: "Them" being Social Security, etc.

[Nimrod2005]

3. If inflation is low, why the hell do they keep raising interest rates?

[PDJane]

4. Yeah, but.....

If you add in fuel and food, the whole low inflation thing and the rosy view of the economy don't hold.....this administration isn't going to admit anything like that. The peasants might revolt..........

[papau]

6. Indeed today gas/food one month DROP is headlined- not year over year

:-(

[Robert Oak]

7. so much for the good economy

I'm so sick of the double speak. People in the real world know we're heading for big disaster.

[oregonindy]

8. yep.....

www.urbansurvival.com is a good site to start with.


oh and if you want to know the decrease in your purchasing power because of inflation heres a site for ya.

http://www.westegg.com/inflation/

[sarcasmo]

9. Nom to keep this at the top. This is one of the topics the Dem's need to

run on in 06 and 08. I am so sick and tired of MR Danger saying the economy is good. Come to Michigan and tell me the economy is good you IDIOT. All of our jobs going over seas. The average wage of Americans is falling and will top out at around twelve dollars an hour. The pensions are being done away with through Bankruptcy. The middle class will be gone in another decade if we don't take it to the streets.
Delphi and the GM employees have a chance to make some noise and if they don't, who will? Strike, shut it down and walk, like they did back in Flint when the Unions were formed.