Initial claims
  • prior week 191K (unrevised)
  • Initial jobless claims 198K vs 196K estimate
  • 4 week MA 198.25K vs 196.25K last week
  • Continuing claims 1.689M vs 1.697M estimate. Prior week revised to 1.685M from 1.694M previous
  • 4 week MA of continuing claims 1.692M vs 1681.75M
  • The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending March 18 were in Massachusetts (+1,293), Mississippi (+729), Georgia (+627), District of Columbia (+607), and Tennessee (+513),
  • The largest decreases were in California (-2,813), Illinois (-1,085), New York (-1,056), New Jersey (-678), and Michigan (-644).

The expectation for May hike of 25 basis points remains near 50-50. The weekly jobs report still reflect solid employment.