Weekly Initial Unemployment Claims Increase to 224,000

The DOL reported:

In the week ending January 27, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 224,000, an increase of
9,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised up by 1,000 from 214,000 to
215,000. The 4-week moving average was 207,750, an increase of 5,250 from the previous week’s revised average. The
previous week’s average was revised up by 250 from 202,250 to 202,500.
emphasis added

The following graph shows the 4-week moving average of weekly claims since 1971.

Click on graph for larger image.

The dashed line on the graph is the current 4-week average. The four-week average of weekly unemployment claims increased to 207,750.

The previous week was revised up.

Weekly claims were above the consensus forecast.