13:30 Dados States
Enviado: 18/1/2007 14:36U.S. weekly claims 4-wk avg. 308,000, 3-month low
U.S. weekly jobless claims fall 8,000 to 290,000
U.S. continuing jobless claims rise to 2.53mln, 1-year high
ECONOMIC REPORT: Jobless claims fall to 11-month low; Continuing claims jump 120,000 to highest level in a year
By Rex Nutting, MarketWatch Last Update: 8:31 AM ET Jan 18, 2007
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - First-time applications for state unemployment benefits dropped by 8,000 to a seasonally adjusted 290,000 in the week ending Jan. 13, the lowest level in 11 months, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
The four-week average of initial claims, considered a better gauge of underlying labor market strength because it smoothes out often-volatile data, dropped by 6,500 to 308,000, the lowest since October.
There were no special factors, such as severe weather events, holidays or strikes, that impacted the claims numbers, a Labor Department spokesman said, adding that there is always lots of volatility in the claims figures this time of year, as construction firms and retailers lay off seasonal employees with uncertain timing.
The unusually warm weather so far this winter could be keeping more people on the job longer, helping to explain the recent drop in seasonally adjusted claims. Or the job market could be regaining momentum after a soft patch in the fall.
Other indicators of the labor market strength, such as the Conference Board's consumer confidence survey on job availability, do not indicate the labor market is strengthening.
Meanwhile, the number of people collecting unemployment checks rose by 120,000 to a seasonally adjusted 2.53 million in the week ending Jan. 6. That's the highest in nearly a year. The four-week average of continuing claims rose by 4,000 to 2.47 million.
The insured unemployment rate - the percentage of those covered by unemployment insurance who are collecting benefits - rose to 1.9% from 1.8%.
Compared with the same time last year, initial claims are up about 4% while continuing claims are down about 6%.
Initial claims represent job destruction, while the level of continuing claims indicates how hard or easy it is for displaced workers to find new jobs.
Long-term unemployment has been stubbornly high during this expansion, despite the decrease in the unemployment rate to 4.5%. In December, about 30% of the 6.8 million official unemployed people had been out of work longer than 15 weeks, while 16% had been out of work longer than 27 weeks.
Typically, unemployment benefits run out after 26 weeks for those who are eligible. Those who exhaust their unemployment benefits are still counted as unemployed if they are looking for work.
U.S. CPI up 2.5% in 2006
U.S. core CPI up 2.6% in 2006
U.S. Dec. CPI up 0.5% as expected
U.S. Dec. core CPI up 0.2% as expected
U.S. Dec. CPI food prices flat
U.S. Dec. CPI medical prices up 0.1%
U.S. Dec. CPI shelter prices up 0.3%
U.S. Dec. CPI energy prices up 4.6%
ECONOMIC REPORT: CPI rises 0.5% on higher energy costs; Core rate increases 0.2% as expected
By Rex Nutting, MarketWatch Last Update: 8:30 AM ET Jan 18, 2007
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Led by higher gasoline, clothing and tobacco prices, U.S. consumer prices rose a seasonally adjusted 0.5% in December, the first increase since August, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
Excluding food and energy prices, the core CPI rose 0.2% in December, the biggest increase in three months.
The increases in the CPI and the core CPI were exactly as forecast by the median estimate of economists surveyed by MarketWatch.
The CPI had been flat in November and had fallen 0.5% in both September and October as energy prices plunged. Energy prices bounced higher in December, however, before turning lower again more recently.
In 2006, the CPI rose 2.5% after a 3.4% gain in 2005. The core CPI rose 2.6% in 2006 after 2.2% in 2005. It was the highest core inflation since 2001's 2.7%.
The CPI report is not likely to have much impact on deliberations by the Federal Open Market Committee on Jan. 30 and 31. Fed officials have said they believe inflation is still too high, but expect inflation to moderate over time as the economy cools slightly.
Most analysts expect the Fed to keep its overnight interest rate target at 5.25% for several more months at least before a possible rate cut sometime this year. Much will depend on the path of growth and inflation.
Energy prices rose 4.6% in December after falling the three previous months. Gasoline prices rose 8% after seasonal adjustment. Natural gas prices rose 3.9%. For all of 2006, energy prices rose 2.9% after surging 17% in both 2004 and 2005.
Shelter prices, which represent about 30% of the CPI, rose 0.3% in December. Rent of primary residence rose 0.5%, while owners' equivalent rent increased 0.3%.
Transportation prices rose 1.8%, led by higher fuel prices. New and used vehicle prices fell 0.3%.
Medical care prices rose 0.1%, as prescription drug prices fell 0.5%.
Apparel prices rose 0.6%, the first increase in three months. Apparel prices rose 0.9% in 2006.
Food prices were unchanged in December and rose 2.2% in 2006. In sharp contrast to the producer price index, which showed wholesale fruit and vegetable prices surging more than 20%, the CPI reported falling fruit and vegetable prices at the retail level.
Tobacco prices rose 1.5%. Recreation prices fell 0.3%. Education and communication prices rose 0.2%
U.S. Dec. housing starts stronger than 1.57 mln expected
U.S. Dec. housing starts down 24.3% year-over-year
U.S. Nov. starts revised down to 1.57 mln vs 1.59 mln
U.S. Dec. owners' equivalent rent prices up 0.3%
U.S. Dec. housing starts up 4.5% to 1.64 mln
ECONOMIC REPORT: Housing starts rise in Dec on multifamily construction; Apartment construction up 42.1%, biggest since April 2005
By Greg Robb, MarketWatch Last Update: 8:30 AM ET Jan 18, 2007
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - New construction on homes in the United States rose for the second straight month in December on strength in apartment construction, the Commerce Department estimated Thursday.
Housing starts rose 4.5% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.64 million, the highest level since September.
Economists surveyed by MarketWatch expected December housing starts would fall to a 1.57 million pace.
Starts of multifamily housing jumped 42.1% in December to 412,000. This is the biggest gain since April 2005.
Starts rose a revised 6.4% in November to 1.57 million units, down slightly from the initial estimate of a 6.7% gain.
Building permits - a sign of future activity - rose 5.5% to an annual rate of 1.60 million in December from 1.51 million in November.
In recent weeks, top officials of the Federal Reserve have said they detect signs of a possible bottom emerging in the weak housing sector.
But 2006 certainly was a rough year for housing construction.
For all of 2006, housing starts fell 12.9% to 1.80 million, the biggest decline since 1991. Building permits fell 14.9% to 1.83 million in 2006, the largest drop since 1990
Starts of single family homes fell 14.7% in 2006 to 1.46 million.
In December, starts rose 25.6% in the Northeast, 1.8% in the Midwest and 12.4% in the West. They fell 2.0% in the South.
The data are particularly volatile in winter months, when weather can have a big impact on new construction.
In December, starts of single-family homes fell 4.1% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.23 million from 1.28 million in November.
Building permits for single-family homes rose 1.2% to 1.16 million in December from 1.15 million in November.
Permits for multifamily units rose 19% to 432,000.
U.S. weekly jobless claims fall 8,000 to 290,000
U.S. continuing jobless claims rise to 2.53mln, 1-year high
ECONOMIC REPORT: Jobless claims fall to 11-month low; Continuing claims jump 120,000 to highest level in a year
By Rex Nutting, MarketWatch Last Update: 8:31 AM ET Jan 18, 2007
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - First-time applications for state unemployment benefits dropped by 8,000 to a seasonally adjusted 290,000 in the week ending Jan. 13, the lowest level in 11 months, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
The four-week average of initial claims, considered a better gauge of underlying labor market strength because it smoothes out often-volatile data, dropped by 6,500 to 308,000, the lowest since October.
There were no special factors, such as severe weather events, holidays or strikes, that impacted the claims numbers, a Labor Department spokesman said, adding that there is always lots of volatility in the claims figures this time of year, as construction firms and retailers lay off seasonal employees with uncertain timing.
The unusually warm weather so far this winter could be keeping more people on the job longer, helping to explain the recent drop in seasonally adjusted claims. Or the job market could be regaining momentum after a soft patch in the fall.
Other indicators of the labor market strength, such as the Conference Board's consumer confidence survey on job availability, do not indicate the labor market is strengthening.
Meanwhile, the number of people collecting unemployment checks rose by 120,000 to a seasonally adjusted 2.53 million in the week ending Jan. 6. That's the highest in nearly a year. The four-week average of continuing claims rose by 4,000 to 2.47 million.
The insured unemployment rate - the percentage of those covered by unemployment insurance who are collecting benefits - rose to 1.9% from 1.8%.
Compared with the same time last year, initial claims are up about 4% while continuing claims are down about 6%.
Initial claims represent job destruction, while the level of continuing claims indicates how hard or easy it is for displaced workers to find new jobs.
Long-term unemployment has been stubbornly high during this expansion, despite the decrease in the unemployment rate to 4.5%. In December, about 30% of the 6.8 million official unemployed people had been out of work longer than 15 weeks, while 16% had been out of work longer than 27 weeks.
Typically, unemployment benefits run out after 26 weeks for those who are eligible. Those who exhaust their unemployment benefits are still counted as unemployed if they are looking for work.
U.S. CPI up 2.5% in 2006
U.S. core CPI up 2.6% in 2006
U.S. Dec. CPI up 0.5% as expected
U.S. Dec. core CPI up 0.2% as expected
U.S. Dec. CPI food prices flat
U.S. Dec. CPI medical prices up 0.1%
U.S. Dec. CPI shelter prices up 0.3%
U.S. Dec. CPI energy prices up 4.6%
ECONOMIC REPORT: CPI rises 0.5% on higher energy costs; Core rate increases 0.2% as expected
By Rex Nutting, MarketWatch Last Update: 8:30 AM ET Jan 18, 2007
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Led by higher gasoline, clothing and tobacco prices, U.S. consumer prices rose a seasonally adjusted 0.5% in December, the first increase since August, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
Excluding food and energy prices, the core CPI rose 0.2% in December, the biggest increase in three months.
The increases in the CPI and the core CPI were exactly as forecast by the median estimate of economists surveyed by MarketWatch.
The CPI had been flat in November and had fallen 0.5% in both September and October as energy prices plunged. Energy prices bounced higher in December, however, before turning lower again more recently.
In 2006, the CPI rose 2.5% after a 3.4% gain in 2005. The core CPI rose 2.6% in 2006 after 2.2% in 2005. It was the highest core inflation since 2001's 2.7%.
The CPI report is not likely to have much impact on deliberations by the Federal Open Market Committee on Jan. 30 and 31. Fed officials have said they believe inflation is still too high, but expect inflation to moderate over time as the economy cools slightly.
Most analysts expect the Fed to keep its overnight interest rate target at 5.25% for several more months at least before a possible rate cut sometime this year. Much will depend on the path of growth and inflation.
Energy prices rose 4.6% in December after falling the three previous months. Gasoline prices rose 8% after seasonal adjustment. Natural gas prices rose 3.9%. For all of 2006, energy prices rose 2.9% after surging 17% in both 2004 and 2005.
Shelter prices, which represent about 30% of the CPI, rose 0.3% in December. Rent of primary residence rose 0.5%, while owners' equivalent rent increased 0.3%.
Transportation prices rose 1.8%, led by higher fuel prices. New and used vehicle prices fell 0.3%.
Medical care prices rose 0.1%, as prescription drug prices fell 0.5%.
Apparel prices rose 0.6%, the first increase in three months. Apparel prices rose 0.9% in 2006.
Food prices were unchanged in December and rose 2.2% in 2006. In sharp contrast to the producer price index, which showed wholesale fruit and vegetable prices surging more than 20%, the CPI reported falling fruit and vegetable prices at the retail level.
Tobacco prices rose 1.5%. Recreation prices fell 0.3%. Education and communication prices rose 0.2%
U.S. Dec. housing starts stronger than 1.57 mln expected
U.S. Dec. housing starts down 24.3% year-over-year
U.S. Nov. starts revised down to 1.57 mln vs 1.59 mln
U.S. Dec. owners' equivalent rent prices up 0.3%
U.S. Dec. housing starts up 4.5% to 1.64 mln
ECONOMIC REPORT: Housing starts rise in Dec on multifamily construction; Apartment construction up 42.1%, biggest since April 2005
By Greg Robb, MarketWatch Last Update: 8:30 AM ET Jan 18, 2007
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - New construction on homes in the United States rose for the second straight month in December on strength in apartment construction, the Commerce Department estimated Thursday.
Housing starts rose 4.5% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.64 million, the highest level since September.
Economists surveyed by MarketWatch expected December housing starts would fall to a 1.57 million pace.
Starts of multifamily housing jumped 42.1% in December to 412,000. This is the biggest gain since April 2005.
Starts rose a revised 6.4% in November to 1.57 million units, down slightly from the initial estimate of a 6.7% gain.
Building permits - a sign of future activity - rose 5.5% to an annual rate of 1.60 million in December from 1.51 million in November.
In recent weeks, top officials of the Federal Reserve have said they detect signs of a possible bottom emerging in the weak housing sector.
But 2006 certainly was a rough year for housing construction.
For all of 2006, housing starts fell 12.9% to 1.80 million, the biggest decline since 1991. Building permits fell 14.9% to 1.83 million in 2006, the largest drop since 1990
Starts of single family homes fell 14.7% in 2006 to 1.46 million.
In December, starts rose 25.6% in the Northeast, 1.8% in the Midwest and 12.4% in the West. They fell 2.0% in the South.
The data are particularly volatile in winter months, when weather can have a big impact on new construction.
In December, starts of single-family homes fell 4.1% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.23 million from 1.28 million in November.
Building permits for single-family homes rose 1.2% to 1.16 million in December from 1.15 million in November.
Permits for multifamily units rose 19% to 432,000.