In the week ended the first of October, US initial jobless claims rose from an upwardly revised 395 000 to 401 000, below the consensus estimate which was looking for an increase to 410 000. The less volatile four-week moving average dropped from 418 000 to 414 000, extending the downward trend. This outcome confirms that last week’s drop was not an outlier, but probably due to the fading effect of the Hurricane Irene, which pushed the claims up in the previous weeks. Also claims in the automobile states are coming down recently as demand is picking up, which might push initial claims further down in the coming weeks. Continuing claims, which are reported with an extra week lag surprised on the downside too. In the week ended the 24th of September, continuing claims dropped from an upwardly revised 3 752 000 to 3 700 000, while an outcome of 3 725 000 was expected. These claims data are an encouraging sign one day ahead of the payrolls report, although there are several factors of uncertainty for the payrolls including the Hurricane Irene, the teachers and (35,91 USD, 0,39%) strikers.