This increase reflects the upturn in the markets in recent weeks; any further gain in the near-term requires a further firming of stocks,

This is a welcome surprise; the trend in claims in recent weeks has been strongly upwards.

There's no question that these numbers have been persistently disappointing in recent weeks, ... It's not that layoffs are accelerating again -- we think the underlying trend [of claims] is stable at about 390,000 -- it is that we expected clearer signs of an outright decline [in the number of claims].

This may mark the start of an upturn in exports, but it's too soon to be sure.

It is impossible to tell how much of the drop simply reflects the inability of the seasonal adjustment to cope with the end of the auto retooling shutdowns, and how much is due to the underlying trend.

It is impossible to tell how much of the drop simply reflects the inability of the seasonal adjustment to cope with the end of the auto retooling shutdowns, and how much is due to the underlying trend,