(Kitco News) – Positive momentum in the U.S. labor market is starting to stall as more American workers than expected apply for first-time unemployment benefits.
For the third consecutive week, weekly jobless claims missed expectations. Thursday the U.S. Labor Department said that weekly jobless claims fell by 7,000 to 411,000, down from the previous week’s unrevised estimate of 418,000 claims.
The latest labor market data was disappointing as consensus forecasts looking for claims to rise to 382,000.
The latest employment data is not having much impact on the gold market. August gold futures last traded at $1,784.40 an ounce, up 0.06% on the day.
The four-week moving average for new claims – often viewed as a more reliable measure of the labor market since it flattens week-to-week volatility – rose to 397,750 an increase of 1,500 claims from the previous week.
Continuing jobless claims, which represent the number of people already receiving benefits, were at 3.390 million during the week ending June 12, down by 144,000 from the previous week’s revised level.
“This is the lowest level for insured unemployment since March 21, 2020 when it was 3,094,000,” the report said.