US jobless claims totalled 232,000 in week ended October 18

Initial applications for US jobless benefits totalled 232,000 in the week ended October 18, according to the US Labour Department website showing historical data for claims.

Continuing claims, a proxy for the number of people receiving benefits, came in at 1.957 million, up slightly from 1.947 million in the prior week. For initial claims, weekly data for the previous three weeks weren’t made available.

The department did not release its weekly jobless claims report during the government shutdown, which ended last week, but it has published data on its website through other channels.

Also Read: Poll shows 47% of Americans see large US trade deficit as economic emergency

Unadjusted state-level claims data were available for download throughout the shutdown. Economists have used those state figures along with pre-released seasonal adjustment factors to estimate weekly claims.

The seasonally-adjusted initial claims figure was accessed through an online database, and the recently posted figure is roughly in line with prior estimates. The federal government shutdown delayed a number of key economic reports, including the monthly jobs report.

The Bureau of Labour Statistics announced an exception for the September consumer price index, which was released last month, to allow the Social Security Administration to calculate the annual cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security recipients. The September jobs report, which was originally slated to be published on October 3, will now be released on Thursday.

Also Read: Goldman Sachs CEO warns of US debt ‘reckoning’ if growth fails to pick up