USA: Initial Claims Below Forecasts, Continuing Jump.

The number of people claiming for unemployment benefits in the US fell to 207K in the week ended April 11th 2026 from a downwardly revised 218K in the previous week which was the highest value since early February. The figure came in below forecasts of 215K, marking the largest weekly decline since February and signaling that layoffs remain limited, as both the labour market and the broader economy continue to demonstrate resilience. The 4-week moving average which excludes week-to-week volatility was 209,750, an increase of 500 from the previous week's revised average of 209.25K. Meanwhile, continuing claims which are seen as a proxy for the number of people receiving unemployment benefits, went up to 1818K in the week ended April 4th, an increase of 31K from the previous week's revised level.