Jobless Claims Preview

The U.S. Department of Labor releases the weekly jobless claims figures at 8:30 ET, with a consensus forecast of 273,000, according to Bloomberg News. Economists estimates range from 250,000, to 275,000, with the consensus forecast of 273,000 slightly weaker than last week's strong reading of 267,000. Jobless claims indicate the number of people who filed for unemployment insurance for the first time and are computed every week. Jobless claims have held steady over the past several months, with the closely followed 4 week moving average hovering between 265,00 and 280,000 since mid April. The 4 week moving average is at levels last seen in 2000, an indication of the underlying strength of the labor market, according to