US Initial Jobless Claims Fell Last Week, State Data Suggest

Applications for US unemployment benefits fell last week, according to a Bloomberg News analysis of unadjusted state-level filings released during the federal government shutdown.

Initial claims decreased to about 218,000 in the week ended Oct. 25 from a revised 231,000 in the prior week, the Labor Department data suggest.

The Labor Department hasn’t issued its weekly report since Sept. 25 because of the government shutdown, but it did make downloadable data available for most states. Bloomberg News adjusted those raw numbers using pre-released weekly seasonal factors from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

When data from all states are included, this ...