Last week we pushed the case for thinking that the recent decline in new jobless claims was more than a statistical glitch. That was a slightly harder sell after looking at the numbers through November 27, a week that suffered a hefty gain. But the broader trend still pointed down, we opined, a view that returned to the good graces of the statistical goods with this morning’s update. Yes, there’s encouraging news in the latest tally of initial jobless claims, which fell a solid 17,000 last week. But while the widely cited seasonally adjusted number offers fresh encouragement today, a new front in the war on job growth may be opening up once we consider last week’s seasonally unadjusted jobless claims total.
Daily Archives: December 9, 2010
WILL DEMOCRATS DERAIL THE TAX CUT EXTENSION?
Is the agreement to extend the Bush tax cuts in trouble? There are new reasons to wonder today, which means that there are new questions about the outlook for any economic stimulus effect that the markets are expecting since the tax deal news hit the wires earlier this week.