In the week ending September 10, initial claims for unemployment insurance ticked up 1,000 from the previous week to 260,000. The four-week moving average, a less volatile gauge that helps even out short-run swings in the data, edged down 500 to 260,750. Jobless claims remained at historically low levels—below 300,000 for 80 consecutive weeks, the longest such stretch since 1970—signaling continued strengthening in the labor market.
