Jobless Claims Dip Again

January 24, 2002 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The number of first-time applications for unemployment insurance continued its downward trend in the week ending January 19, according to data from the Department of Labor.

A sign that the economy may be climbing out of a trough, the figure fell by almost 4% to 376,000 from a revised 391,000 in the previous week. One year ago the initial claims figure was 311,000.

The four-week moving average, considered a better measure since it smoothes out weekly volatility, dipped to 404,250 in the latest week from 413,000 the week before.

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