US DATA: Initial jobless claims +2k to 366k in Aug 11 wk, only
slightly above 365k expected and following a modest upward revision to
the prev wk. Labor Dept analyst said there was nothing unusual in the
state level data. 4-wk moving avg -5,500 to 363,750 in Aug 11 week, low
since March 31 wk. Continuing claims -31k to 3.305 mln in Aug 4 week.
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US DATA: The pace of housing starts -1.1% to 746k SAAR in July vs 750k
expected, +24.5% y/y NSA. Starts down in 3 of the 4 regions. 1-family
-6.5% in the month, multi-family +12.4%. Building permits +6.8% to 812k
SAAR, high since Aug 2008 (858k). Completions +7.1% to 668k SAAR, high
since June 2010. The data suggest continued, but uneven, improvement.