Jobless claims in United States

Each week the number of requests for unemployment benefits are published to publicize the number of people applying for the first time this type of service. An upward trend (downward) shows a deterioration (improvement) in the labor market.

Is calculated by the Labor Department using data from their offices, in which subsidies are requested.

The number of jobless claims is used to measure the strength of the labor market. A strong labor market has a great influence on the country's economy. It is also a good indicator of inflationary pressures on wages, since a low number of requests may signal that the number of job seekers is lower and therefore the cost for companies to hire could increase. The markets are very sensitive to this kind of information because inflationary pressures on wages may lead to changes in interest rates.

The data is subject to revisions, so caution should be exercised when interpreting the data.