Initial Claims

This is a weekly report that’s been around since the mid-60s, which summarizes the volume of claims filed for people aiming to get some form of jobless benefits, how many qualify, and how many are receiving jobless benefits.

When initial claims are high, it means people are looking for help, because the economy’s sponge isn’t soaking up their labor like it should be (ideally).

Initial claims is the domain of the U.S. Department of Labor, officially called the Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report. Since the weekly report can have a lot of changes, analysts often use month-long moving averages when searching for upward or downward sloping trends.