News / Economy

Jobless claims rise in US, housing lags

Thursday, 16 April 2015 6:25 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 20 April 2015 3:24 PM ]

Jobless claims in the US rose in the first week of April, according top official figures.

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose 12,000 to a seasonally-adjusted 294,000 for the week ending April 11, according to the US Labor Department.

The report, released on Thursday, also shows that US housing starts, the number of privately-owned new houses whose construction has already started in any particular month, rose far less than expected in March.

It was expected that 1.04 million new homes were supposed to have begun their construction in March, but official figures pointed to only 926,000 private-owned projects, a difference of almost 100,000 units.

This, according to experts, is because of a harsh winter that saw a weaker growth in the global economy.

Thursday’s report comes after the Federal Reserve gave a grim picture of its latest economic review of the United States.

On Wednesday, the US central bank published its “Beige Book” report, a publication released 8 times a year, which showed a murky picture of the short-term future of the US economic outlook.

The report cited weaker-than-expected economic data, including most notably in consumer spending, real estate and Construction, and unemployment.

HDS/HRJ

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk