Political Economy category archive

Better, with hints of a trend.

Jobless claims decreased by 8,000 to 276,000 in the week ended May 30 from a revised 284,000 in the prior period, a Labor Department report showed today in Washington.

(snip)

The four-week average of applications, a less-volatile measure than the weekly figure, increased to 274,750 from 272,000 in the prior week.

The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits declined by 30,000 to 2.2 million in the week ended May 23, the fewest since November 2000.

The most unexpected news is that Bloomberg’s experts got it right.

For once.

Maintaining a positive trend:

Applications for U.S. jobless benefits remained below 300,000 for the 12th straight week, signaling the labor market remains firm even as the economy has been slow to rebound from a first-quarter slump.

Jobless claims increased by 7,000 to 282,000 in the week ended May 23, a Labor Department report showed Thursday in Washington.

(snip)

The four-week average of claims, a less-volatile measure than the weekly figure, climbed to 271,500 from a 15-year low of 266,500 the prior week.

The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits increased by 11,000 to 2.22 million in the week ended May 16. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits rose to 1.7 percent from 1.6 percent. These data are reported with a one-week lag.

Somewhat better.

The average number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits over the past four weeks dropped to a 15-year low, a sign the labor market continues to strengthen.

The four-week average for jobless claims decreased to 266,250 in the period ended May 16 from 271,750, a Labor Department report showed Thursday in Washington.

(snip)

The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits decreased by 12,000 to 2.21 million in the week ended May 9, the lowest level since November 2000.

Republican efforts to counter this trend are, no doubt, continuing.

Dick Polman offers his suggestion for managing the Republican “debates”: Brackets. He says, “Under my system, only a manageable handful will make it to debate night.”

Here’s his list of proposed brackets; follow the link to see who he thinks should be in each one.

Still somewhat positive.

Jobless claims decreased by 1,000 to 264,000 in the seven days ended May 9, a Labor Department report showed Thursday in Washington. The median forecast of 53 economists surveyed by Bloomberg projected 273,000. The four-week average, a less-volatile measure, was the lowest since April 2000.

(snip)

The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits held at 2.23 in the week ended May 2.In that same period, the unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits held at 1.7 percent, where it’s been since mid-March, the report showed.

Aside:

It is almost certain that the Republican Party is looking for a way to reverse this trend.

It’s not who you think they are.

Still trending positively.

Jobless claims increased by 3,000 to 265,000 in the week ended May 2, a Labor Department report showed Thursday in Washington. The median forecast of 47 economists surveyed by Bloomberg projected 278,000. The four-week average, a less-volatile measure, fell to 279,500, the least since May 2000.

(snip)

The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits dropped by 28,000 to 2.23 million in the week ended April 25, the fewest since November 2000.

For all practical purposes, status quo ante.

Jobless claims increased by 1,000 to 295,000 in the week ended April 18, a Labor Department report showed Thursday in Washington.

(snip)

The four-week average of claims, a less-volatile measure than the weekly figure, climbed to 284,500 from 282,750 in the prior week. The comparable reading for the March payroll survey week was 305,250, signaling employment could have picked up.

The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits rose by 50,000 to 2.33 million in the week ended April 11. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits held at 1.7 percent, where it’s been since mid-March. These data are reported with a one-week lag.

Still not too bad.

While a Labor Department report in Washington Thursday showed jobless claims increased by 12,000 to 294,000 in the week ended April 11, readings this low are typically consistent with an improving job market.

(snip)

The four-week average of claims, a less-volatile measure than the weekly figure, was little changed at 282,750 compared with an almost 15-year low of 282,500 in the prior week.

The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits dropped by 40,000 to 2.27 million in the week ended April 4, the fewest since December 2000. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits held at 1.7 percent. These data are reported with a one-week lag.

The VP-Finance of my one of my employers believed that, if you qualified for an income tax refund of no more than $50.00, you had managed your tax liability effectively in the previous year.

Somewhat better.

From mid-March through the seven days ended April 4, jobless claims averaged 282,250 a week, the lowest since June 2000, a Labor Department report showed Thursday in Washington. Applications over the latest week climbed by 14,000 to 281,000. The median forecast of 45 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for 283,000.

(snip)

The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits declined by 23,000 to 2.3 million in the week ended March 28, the fewest since December 2000. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits held at 1.7 percent. These data are reported with a one-week lag.

Better.

Jobless claims dropped by 20,000 to 268,000 in the week ended March 28, the lowest since the period ended Jan. 24 and second-lowest in at least a year, a Labor Department report showed Thursday in Washington.

(snip)

The four-week moving average for jobless claims, a less volatile measure than the weekly numbers, decreased to 285,500 last week, from 300,250, the Labor Department’s report showed.

The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits dropped by 88,000 to 2.33 million in the week ended March 21. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits fell to 1.7 percent from 1.8 percent. These data are reported with a one-week lag.

Also, in something that cannot be called news because it’s olds, Bloomberg still needs new “experts.”

Chris Christie plays the privatization lottery . . . and loses.

When Chris Christie privatized New Jersey’s lottery two years ago, he said its new overseers would “modernize and maximize” the games.

Instead, a lottery once ranked among the nation’s top performers is now lagging for the second straight year, trailing its state income targets by $64 million seven months into the current fiscal year. Meanwhile, the company running it has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to hire lobbyists and a public relations firm with close ties to the governor.

I am no fan of lotteries as a means to raise public funds. They are a scam used by cowardly politicians to prey on the poor so as to avoid honest taxes.

This, I reckon, is a case of scammers out-scammed.

Somewhat better.

Jobless claims fell by 9,000 to 282,000 in the seven days ended March 21, the lowest level since mid-February, a Labor Department report showed Thursday in Washington.

(snip)

The four-week moving average, a less volatile measure than the weekly numbers, declined to 297,000 last week, from 304,750. . . .

The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits dropped by 6,000 to 2.42 million in the week ended March 14. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits held at 1.8 percent, where it’s been all year. These data are reported with a one-week lag.

The Republican Party has not yet revealed its plans for reversing this trend. Oh, I forgot.

One thing about growing up in the Jim Crow South was this: Racists, along with their sympathizers and apologists, did not have to twist themselves into pretzels to pretend that they weren’t being racist. They just admitted it.