Andrei Askirka/iStock via Getty Images By Jennifer Nash Initial jobless claims measure the number of people who file for unemployment for the first time in a given week. In the week ending March 28th, initial jobless claims were at a seasonally adjusted level of 202,000. This represents a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week's figure and was lower than the forecast of 212,000. Here is the comp...
Andrei Askirka/iStock via Getty Images By Jennifer Nash Initial jobless claims measure the number of people who file for unemployment for the first time in a given week. In the week ending March 28th, initial jobless claims were at a seasonally adjusted level of 202,000. This represents a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week's figure and was lower than the forecast of 212,000. Here is the complete data series dating back to 1967. There is a good bit of volatility in this indicator, which is why the four-week moving average is a more useful number than the weekly data because it smooths short-term fluctuations to highlight the overall trend. The four-week moving average currently stands at 207,750, down 3,000 from the previous week. Outside of the COVID spike, initial unemployment claims have never been greater than 700,000 for a given week, making the chart above less useful for identifying trends. To address this, we've adjusted the y-axis on the chart below to provide a closer view of the data, minimizing the impact of the COVID surge. Notice the relationship between recessions and the rise in weekly unemployment claims. To no surprise, the 4-week moving average begins to rise at or before the start of a recession and peaks around its conclusion. In another attempt to eliminate the COVID spike, the chart below shows initial unemployment claims starting in October 2021. Initial Unemployment Claims: Not Seasonally Adjusted The headline unemployment insurance data - and the charts above - are seasonally adjusted. But what does the non-seasonally adjusted data look like? The chart below highlights its extreme volatility, as shown by the green dots. The four-week moving average helps reveal the recurring seasonal patterns, such as the regular spikes in January. Because of the extreme volatility of the non-adjusted weekly data, we can add a 52-week moving average to give a better sense of the secular trends. The chart below also has a linear regression through the d...
Vietnam ’s economic momentum slowed in the first quarter as escalating tensions in the Middle East drive up energy costs and disrupt global trade routes, complicating General Secretary To Lam ’s push for double-digit growth. Gross domestic product expanded 7.83% from a year earlier, down from 8.46% in the fourth quarter, the National Statistics Office said in Hanoi on Saturday. That was higher tha...
Vietnam ’s economic momentum slowed in the first quarter as escalating tensions in the Middle East drive up energy costs and disrupt global trade routes, complicating General Secretary To Lam ’s push for double-digit growth. Gross domestic product expanded 7.83% from a year earlier, down from 8.46% in the fourth quarter, the National Statistics Office said in Hanoi on Saturday. That was higher than the median estimate of 7.6% in a Bloomberg survey of seven economists. “Global conditions in Q1 2026 remained complex and unpredictable, with escalating Middle East conflicts driving energy price volatility, supply disruptions, and rising inflation,” the statistics office said in a statement. The Southeast Asian nation, which is targeting sustained 10% growth, is navigating rising fuel prices and tightened supplies from the Iran war, which has effectively halted shipping of oil and gas through the Strait of Hormuz. The government has tapped its emergency fuel fund to stabilize prices and Vietnamese airlines have slashed flights due to jet fuel shortages. Still, inflationary pressures are rising. Consumer prices increased 4.65% in March from a year earlier. The government targets a ceiling of 4.5% this year. The manufacturing powerhouse posted a $33.9 billion billion trade surplus with the US in the first quarter, a 24.2% increase from the year before, the agency said. Vietnam had the third-largest US trade gap last year, behind only China and Mexico, underscoring the scale of supply chain shifts away from its northern neighbor. In January, it overtook them both to record the largest monthly deficit with the US. Exports rose about 20.1% in March from a year ago. Manufacturing, which grew 9.73% in the first quarter, remained the key driver of economic growth, according to the statistics office. Imports climbed 27.8% last month. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh previously warned of mounting pressure on inflation, interest rates and energy due to global tensions, and the potent...
Efforts by South Korea and France to secure safe passage for vessels through the Strait of Hormuz are likely to be centred on a post-war defensive armada with other countries. Analysts also say both nations are wary of joining the Middle East conflict at this point in time and antagonising Iran. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday revealed he had agreed with French counterpart Emmanuel ...
Efforts by South Korea and France to secure safe passage for vessels through the Strait of Hormuz are likely to be centred on a post-war defensive armada with other countries. Analysts also say both nations are wary of joining the Middle East conflict at this point in time and antagonising Iran. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday revealed he had agreed with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron to cooperate on safety in the strategic oil supply strait. Lee made the remarks after a...
A sick woman in China who spat out blood on an underground train then wiped the bloodstain from the floor with her coat has received 400,000 yuan (US$58,000) in donations from internet users moved by her plight. A video of the woman taken by a passenger on a train in Chongqing, southwestern China on March 23 has gone viral on mainland social media, Jiupai News reported. Hu Xinyao, 23, has a rare v...
A sick woman in China who spat out blood on an underground train then wiped the bloodstain from the floor with her coat has received 400,000 yuan (US$58,000) in donations from internet users moved by her plight. A video of the woman taken by a passenger on a train in Chongqing, southwestern China on March 23 has gone viral on mainland social media, Jiupai News reported. Hu Xinyao, 23, has a rare vascular condition called ANCA-associated vasculitis. She was on her way to a hospital for an...
Each week we bring you insights into one of Asia’s most dynamic economies. If you haven’t yet, please sign up here . This week, Yihui Xie looks at Singapore’s push to become a bigger player in the global gold trade — and why this time might be different. Srinidhi Ragavendran takes a ride in Southeast Asia’s first driverless shuttle service and finds a city testing the future at its own careful pac...
Each week we bring you insights into one of Asia’s most dynamic economies. If you haven’t yet, please sign up here . This week, Yihui Xie looks at Singapore’s push to become a bigger player in the global gold trade — and why this time might be different. Srinidhi Ragavendran takes a ride in Southeast Asia’s first driverless shuttle service and finds a city testing the future at its own careful pace. And Bernadette Toh revisits WILD/FIRE, the cult burger joint that came back with more to offer. Singapore’s Gold Rush Singapore has its sights set on becoming a global gold hub — and it’s not dabbling. Late last week, the city-state unveiled an ambitious plan: provide gold-storage capacity to host bullion for other central banks, build a clearing system to deepen liquidity, and strengthen price discovery. Bloomberg also reported that the central bank is considering additional storage facilities near Changi Airport. If this all rings a bell, it’s because Hong Kong pitched a remarkably similar plan earlier this year. Both economies rely heavily on external capital, both are courting everyone from crypto firms to ultra-high-net-worth families, and both want a bigger role in the increasingly competitive world of gold trading. The prize is obvious. Central banks collectively hold nearly 39,000 tons of bullion — roughly 18% of all the gold ever mined. Those 400-ounce bars aren’t just sitting idle; they can be lent out, forming a key source of liquidity. Combined with the big bullion banks that act as market-makers, they underpin London’s dominance as the world’s main gold-trading hub , where billions of dollars’ worth of metal change hands daily. So, can Singapore break into the club? It has some natural advantages: a reputation for clean governance, political stability, low taxes, and a well-established wealth-management ecosystem . “Singapore is a trusted neutral location between the East and West,” said Gregor Gregersen, who founded The Reserve, a massive vault for precious...
Colorado Forces Lawyers To Swear They Won't Help Feds Nab Illegals Lawyers in the Mile High State are now being strong-armed by Democrats into signing a radical anti-immigration-enforcement pledge just to do their jobs. Starting March 30, 2026, every private attorney logging into Colorado’s official Courts E-Filing system (CCE) must certify - under penalty of perjury - that they will never use or ...
Colorado Forces Lawyers To Swear They Won't Help Feds Nab Illegals Lawyers in the Mile High State are now being strong-armed by Democrats into signing a radical anti-immigration-enforcement pledge just to do their jobs. Starting March 30, 2026, every private attorney logging into Colorado’s official Courts E-Filing system (CCE) must certify - under penalty of perjury - that they will never use or share non-public personal information from court records to assist federal immigration authorities. Refuse? You’re shut out of the system entirely. No filing lawsuits, no checking case files, no representing clients in state court. Period. The certification reads in part: “ I certify under penalty of perjury that I will not use personal identifying information obtained from the database … for the purpose of investigating for, participating in, cooperating with, or assisting in federal immigration enforcement, including enforcement of civil immigration laws and 8 U.S.C. sec. 1325 or 1326, unless required by federal or state law or to comply with a court-issued subpoena, warrant, or order.” Colorado is now requiring lawyers in the State, as a condition of logging into its court e-filing system, to promise not to cooperate with federal authorities in enforcing federal immigration law. Please understand: - I do not practice immigration law. - I do not practice… pic.twitter.com/khYDf5TkQd — Ian Speir (@IanSpeir) April 2, 2026 It’s not optional for immigration lawyers only. It hits every practicing attorney in Colorado - divorce attorneys, personal injury lawyers, estate planners, the works. Government employees get a free pass. Everyone else? Sign or sit on the sidelines. The order comes straight from Senate Bill 25-276 , the “Protect Civil Rights Immigration Status” act rammed through by Democrats and signed by Gov. Jared Polis on May 23, 2025. The bill expanded Colorado’s already aggressive sanctuary-style rules by slapping the Judicial Branch with the same restrictions as oth...