Trump Imposes New Tariffs on Drone Imports Over US Security Concerns 
S&P 500 Hits Record High as Soft Inflation Data Eases Fed Rate Hike Fears 
Gold Prices Fall Amid Rate Jitters; Copper Steady as China Stimulus Eyed 
Asian Stocks Rise as AI Chip Rally Lifts South Korea, Japan 
US Dollar Slips as Weak Retail Sales Reduce Fed Rate Hike Bets 
Japan Government Backs Earlier BOJ Rate Hike as Inflation Pressures Build 
UK Economy Posts Surprise June Growth as World Cup and Hot Weather Lift Activity 
China Automakers Accelerate Global Expansion as Domestic Car Sales Slump 
S&P 500 Retreats From Record High as AI Stocks Slide, Retail Sales Disappoint 
Add as a preferred source on Google
Initial jobless claims in the United States fell to near 4-decade low during the week ended October 22, as employers remain unwilling to part with workers. Also, the data strengthened the case for a December interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve.
Jobless claims declined by 3,000 to 258,000 in the week ended Oct. 22, data released by the U.S. Labor Department showed Thursday in Washington. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey called for 256,000. Continuing claims dropped to the lowest level since June 2000.
The four-week average of claims, a less-volatile measure than the weekly figure, increased to 253,000 from 252,000 in the prior week.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits dropped by 15,000 to 2.04 million in the week ended Oct. 15. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits held at 1.5 percent. These data are reported with a one-week lag.
