The number of Americans filing applications for unemployment benefits increased ...
WASHINGTON - The number of Americans filing applications for unemployment benefits increased more than expected last week, suggesting the labor market was slowing, but probably not to the extent implied by a near-stall in job growth in February.
“Right now the labor market looks distinctly cooler than it did last year,” said Chris Rupkey, chief economist at MUFG in New York. “If Fed Chair Powell is waiting for inflation to pick up before resuming that gradual pace of rate hikes, today’s report isn’t going to impress him much.” The four-week moving average of initial claims, considered a better measure of labor market trends as it irons out week-to-week volatility, slipped 2,500 to 223,750 last week.
In another report on Thursday, the Labor Department said import prices rose 0.6 percent last month, boosted by increases in the costs of fuels and consumer goods. That was the biggest gain since May and followed an upwardly revised 0.1 percent rise in January. The report came on the heels of data showing tame producer and consumer inflation readings in February. The jump in the monthly import prices probably does not change economists’ expectations that inflation will remain moderate through the first half of 2019, and allow the Fed to stay pat on interest rates. The U.S. central bank raised rates four times last year
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