Tag Archives: Jobs

First-time claims for unemployment insurance rose 34,000 for the week ended July 14 to 386,000 - the highest level in four weeks - the Labor Department said Thursday. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had expected 365,000 initial claims. The prior week's total was revised up to 352,000 from the originally reported 350,000. Initial claims had plunged in the week ended July 7 to a four year low as seasonal adjustments ├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔé¼┼ô used to correct for sharp changes in raw data due to recurring annual phenomena ├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔé¼┼ô offset annual furloughs of auto workers when plants re-tooled for the new model year.

The U.S. economy continued to expand at a modest to moderate pace in June and early July the Federal Reserve said Wednesday in its periodic Beige Book. The national summary, based on reports from each of the 12 Federal Reserve districts, noted "modest growth" in the Atlanta, St. Louis, and San Francisco districts, while the Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, Kansas City, and Dallas districts said economic activity was "advancing moderately." All district housing market reports, the Beige Book said, were "largely positive."

Increased home sales continue to help the United States out of its Great Recession, but uneven job growth is stunting recovery, according to Freddie Mac├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔÇ×┬ós U.S. Economic and Housing Market Outlook for July. The report, released Wednesday, showed that record-breaking low mortgage rates and refinances through HARP 2.0 drove up housing demand, leading to increases in housing starts, home sales, and prices in many markets. Housing starts for the first five months of the year averaged an annual rate of 719,000, a 26 percent increase from the same period in 2011.

First-time claims for unemployment insurance fell 26,000 to 350,00 in early July, reaching the lowest level since March 2008, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The prior week's total was revised up to 376,000 from the originally reported 374,000. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had expected a modest decline to 375,000 initial claims. Continuing claims ├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔé¼┼ô reported on a one-week lag ├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔé¼┼ô fell 14,000 to 3,304,000 from the prior week's 3,318,000, revised from the originally reported 3,306,000.

Downturns in economic confidence hasn├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔÇ×┬ót shaken consumers├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔÇ×┬ó optimism in the housing market, Fannie Mae├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔÇ×┬ós National Housing Survey for June showed. According to the survey, the average home price expectation rose to 2 percent in June, up 0.6 percent from May and the highest recorded value since the survey began two years ago. In addition, 35 percent of respondents expect that home prices will go up in the next year, the highest level recorded since the survey├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔÇ×┬ós inception. Thirty-seven percent of respondents said they think mortgage rates will go up in the next 12 months.

The nation added 80,000 jobs in June, the Labor Department has reported; job growth in Q2 marks the weakest quarterly gain since the Q3 of 2010.

First-time claims for unemployment insurance fell a sharp 14,000 to 374,000 for the week ended June 30, the Labor Department said Thursday, finding the largest drop in nine weeks. The prior week's total was revised up to 388,000 from the originally reported 386,000. The drop in claims was the second week-over-week improvement and came on the weekend heading into the July 4 holiday, usually a slower period for layoffs, according to seasonal factors. An uncertain employment report will follow on Friday.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage slumped back to a new, record-breaking low, as manufacturing fell behind and more investors turned to the safe haven of Treasury debt. Zillow found that interest rates for the loan fell to 3.43 percent, beating a previous low of 3.48 percent for the real estate Web site and setting a new record since it started reporting interest rates in 2008. Interest rates for the 15-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 2.87 percent, while those for 5- and 1-year adjustable-rate mortgages hovered at 2.43 percent.

First time claims for unemployment insurance fell to 387,000 for the week ended June 16, from the prior week├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔÇ×┬ós 389,000, (revised from the originally reported 387,000) the Labor Department reported Thursday. Economists had expected the report would show 3863,000 initial claims.

Renters and first-time homebuyers want more amenities in their first homes and generally feel a sense of optimism that outpaces the reality in a slowly recovering housing market ├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔé¼┼ô a disconnect that could set the stage for the next housing crisis. Those are the findings that real estate company Trulia unveiled in an American Dream survey it released Wednesday. Of 86 markets in the 100 largest metro areas, 61 percent, or nearly two-thirds, of Americans believe that home prices will rise over the next year, according to the company.