http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/ui/current.htmJuly 8, 2004 UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA
In the week ending July 3, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 310,000, a decrease of 39,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 349,000. The 4-week moving average was 336,000, a decrease of 10,250 from the previous week's revised average of 346,250.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.3 percent for the week ending June 26, unchanged from the prior week's revised rate of 2.3 percent.
The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending June 26 was 2,872,000, a decrease of 85,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 2,957,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,918,250, an increase of 2,000 from the preceding week's revised average of 2,916,250.
UNADJUSTED DATA
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 351,137 in the week ending July 3, an increase of 32,751 from the previous week. There were 483,401 initial claims in the comparable week in 2003.
The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.2 percent during the week ending June 26, unchanged from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,754,453, an increase of 33,841 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 2.6 percent and the volume was 3,330,105.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=568&ncid=749&e=1&u=/nm/20040708/bs_nm/economy_jobless_dcJobless Claims Lowest in Nearly 4 Years
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. jobless claims staged an unexpectedly steep fall to the lowest level in nearly four years with 39,000 fewer workers applying for initial aid, the government said on Thursday, but seasonal adjustment factors skewed the report. <snip>
It was the lowest level since 302,000 in the week ended October 8, 2000.
A department official said the seasonal adjustment method used to calculate the data had anticipated a surge in claims in the latest week for automakers' annual summer maintenance shutdowns. However, that rise did not occur in the week it was expected.
The official added that July tends to be a volatile month for claims overall. <snip>
============================
Sales at major retailers in June were down 0.2 percent compared with May (Redbook data) .
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=568&ncid=749&e=2&u=/nm/20040708/bs_nm/retail_sales_dcRetailers Blame Weather for Poor Sales
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and other U.S. retailers reported disappointing June sales on Thursday as unusually cool, wet weather in parts of the country hurt demand for summer merchandise.
Some specialty retailers also warned of worse-than-expected profits because of the poor sales performance. <snip>