US: Initial jobless claims increased by 15k to 258k - Nomura

Research Team at Nomura notes that the US initial jobless claims for the week ending 18 March increased by 15k to 258k while the four-week moving average was steady at 240k.

Key Quotes

“Continuing claims fell 39k to 2000k for the week ending 11 March. The release today includes annual revisions for initial and continuing jobless claims. The seasonal adjustment factors used for claims data from 2012 forward have been revised, but there was no meaningful change to an underlying trend. As labor market conditions remain healthy, we continue to expect this series to remain low.”