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  "path": "/2026/02/its-thursday_19.html",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-20T00:59:00.001Z",
  "site": "https://40yrs.blogspot.com",
  "tags": [
    "the latest unemployment numbers"
  ],
  "textContent": "And we have the latest unemployment numbers.\n\nInitial claims fell sharply, but continuing claims continue to rise.\n\nI find the latter number more significant than the latter.\n\n> Applications for US unemployment benefits fell by the most since November, adding to evidence of stabilization in the labor market.\n>\n> Initial claims decreased by 23,000 to 206,000 in the week ended Feb. 14, according to Labor Department data released Thursday. That was lower than all but one estimate in a Bloomberg survey.\n>\n> In the past year, new applications have fallen below the 210,000 mark only a handful of times. That level of weekly filings is a sign that layoffs widely remain low. The data also suggest that people who were temporarily unable to work due to a severe winter storm that spanned the country in late January have returned to their jobs.\n>\n> However, continuing claims, a proxy for the number of people receiving benefits, rose to 1.87 million in the previous week, the highest since early January.\n>\n> ………\n>\n> Separate data out Thursday showed the US trade deficit widened in December, capping a year marked by erratic tariff policy.\n\n I think that we are already in a recession, and that it will get much worse, but what the hell do I know.",
  "title": "It's Thursday ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯",
  "updatedAt": "2026-02-20T06:10:51.374Z"
}