USA: Initial Claims Inch Down.

The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US eased by 4,000 from the four-month high in the previous week to 226,000 in the second week of June, loosely aligned with market expectations of 225,000. Meanwhile, continuing claims, which are seen as a gauge of outstanding unemployment in the US, rose by 24,000 from to 1,810,000 in the first week of June, the highest in nearly three months. Albeit consolidating the departure from the strong levels since the start of the second quarter, the figures remained robust on historical standards, maintaining the trend of low firing and low hiring. Meanwhile, initial claims filed by federal employees, which have been under scrutiny due the administration's efforts in decreasing the number of public workers, fell by 56 to 497.