Talk about a reversal of fortunes! Last week’s filings for new jobless claims soared 66,000 to a seasonally adjusted 374,000, which is the highest weekly total since March, according to a division of the Labor Department that’s still publishing economic reports. A substantial slice of the increase is reportedly due to playing catch-up with the data in the wake of a computer glitch that affected updates in several states. According to Bloomberg, “The issues in California accounted for about half the jump in applications last week and the dismissal of non-federal employees after Congress failed to compromise on a budget accounted for about another 15,000, a Labor Department spokesman said as the data was released to the press.”
Daily Archives: October 10, 2013
US Retail Sales: September 2013 Preview
Tomorrow’s retail sales report for September will be postponed due to the government shutdown. When (if?) this update is published, US retail sales are expected to rise 0.3%, according to The Capital Spectator’s average econometric forecast. Keep in mind that this forecast is impaired because it doesn’t reflect an update of the R-2 model (see definition below), which relies in part on the latest payrolls data to project retail sales. Unfortunately, the September employment report from the government is still a mystery due to the budget impasse in Congress. Using the available numbers, the Capital Spectator’s average forecast of a 0.3% rise for September retail sales represents a slight rise from the previously reported 0.2% gain in August. Meanwhile, the Capital Spectator’s average projection for September is above several consensus forecasts based on recent surveys of economists.