Initial jobless claims retreated sharply last week, delivering a timely reprieve from the increases in previous weeks–increases that were beginning to look troubling, if they persisted. They haven’t, at least for now. New filings for jobless benefits dropped a sizable 42,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 346,000. Once again, the latest claims data is within shouting distance of the post-recession low of 333,000, which was set back in mid-January. Is today’s report a sign that the previous runup in claims was just another case of noise for this volatile series? Possibly, although more convincing evidence will take several more weeks of updates.
Daily Archives: April 11, 2013
US Retail Sales: March 2013 Preview
Tomorrow’s report on US retail sales for March is projected to show a 0.2% gain for the month, according to The Capital Spectator’s average econometric forecast. That’s sharply lower than the 1.1% gain reported by the Census Bureau for February. Meanwhile, the Capital Spectator’s March projection is moderately above the range of consensus forecasts for several surveys of economists.
Asset Allocation & Rebalancing Review | 11 April 2013
The US stock market rose to an all-time high yesterday, based on the S&P 500. US equities also look strong in relative terms so far this year vs. all the major asset classes.