U.S. Unemployment Claims Decline, While Continued Claims Reach a New High, Raising Concerns

On the eve of Thanksgiving, U.S. labor market data has once again captured market attention. Data released on Wednesday showed that, for the week ending November 23, initial claims for unemployment benefits in the U.S. dropped to 213,000, the lowest in seven months and better than market expectations. This suggests that despite economic challenges, companies are reluctant to engage in mass layoffs. However, continuing claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose to a three-year high of 1.907 million, highlighting significant difficulties for many unemployed individuals in finding new jobs.

Decline in Initial Unemployment Claims Shows Labor Market Resilience

The latest data shows that initial unemployment claims in the U.S. decreased by 2,000 from the previous week, with the revised previous value at 215,000. This decline exceeded market expectations of 216,000 and is significantly lower than the nearly 18-month high seen in early October due to hurricanes and airline strikes. This indicates that while hiring has slowed, U.S. companies are choosing to retain existing employees, showing confidence in the economy's resilience.

Low unemployment remains one of the pillars of steady economic growth in the U.S. Analysts believe that a robust labor market supports continued strong consumer spending, which accounts for as much as 70%-80% of the U.S. GDP, serving as a key driver of economic growth.

Rising Continuing Claims Reflect Employment Difficulty

Despite the positive initial unemployment claims data, the increase in continuing claims has raised market concerns. For the week ending November 16, continuing claims unexpectedly rose by 9,000 to 1.907 million, the highest level since November 2021. Economists point out that this trend reflects many unemployed individuals facing long-term unemployment issues, with increasing difficulty in re-employment, particularly as small and medium-sized enterprises delay hiring plans amid uncertain economic prospects.

The continued claims data covers the period of the government survey on November's unemployment rate, expected to directly impact the forthcoming non-farm employment report. Currently, the U.S. unemployment rate has remained steady at 4.1% for two consecutive months. Analysts predict the November non-farm report may show the unemployment rate remaining unchanged or even slightly rising.

Policy Impact of Inflation and Rate Cut Expectations

The latest labor market performance also provides important references for the Federal Reserve's monetary policy decisions. Although consumer spending and the labor market show resilience, the trend of cooling inflation is slowing. Data shows that the core PCE price index rose by 2.8% year-on-year in October, higher than September's 2.7%, indicating that the Fed will face more complex policy choices.

The market expects the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates by 25 basis points in December, with futures data indicating this probability rose to 70% after the unemployment data release. However, the Fed's recently released November meeting minutes show significant discrepancies among officials regarding the specific pace of future rate cuts, suggesting a "gradual" approach may be adopted with pauses for assessing economic data as necessary.

Economic Growth and Underlying Concerns

The resilience of the U.S. labor market supports economic growth, but the rise in continuing claims also exposes difficulties in re-employment and potential risks of long-term unemployment. As the non-farm employment data is about to be released, market expectations for the Federal Reserve's December rate decision continue to adjust.

Analysts believe that the complex signals from the labor market will complicate the Federal Reserve's policy-making, and in the short term, the economic and policy outlook remains uncertain. Whether corporate hiring and consumer spending can maintain their current momentum will be key indicators in assessing whether the U.S. economy is approaching a "soft landing."

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