Initial jobless claims in the United States dropped by 9,000 to 215,000 in the second week of April, defying expectations of a modest rise to 225,000.
US initial jobless claims fall to two-month low
This marks the lowest number of new claims in over two months and underscores the continued strength of the US labor market, extending momentum seen in recent employment reports. However, continuing claims climbed by 41,000 to 1.885 million, reflecting ongoing volatility in the measure of longer-term unemployment.
US housing starts post surprise dip
Meanwhile, US housing starts fell sharply by 11.4% month-over-month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.324 million in March 2025, the lowest level in four months and well below market forecasts of 1.42 million. The drop followed a downwardly revised 9.8% increase in February. Single-family housing starts tumbled 14.2% to 1.089 million, while starts for multi-family units (five or more) held steady at 0.37 million. Regionally, the West (-30.9%) and the South (-17.1%) saw steep declines, while the Midwest posted a strong rebound (+76.2%) and the Northeast saw a modest increase (+1.4%).
