US weekly jobless claims plunge to lowest since 1969

Source: Reuters

“The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits for the first time unexpectedly fell last week to the lowest since the ​1960s, indicating the U.S. job market continues on an even keel ‌and leaving Federal Reserve officials to keep their focus on containing inflation. Initial claims for state jobless benefits dropped by 22,000 — the largest decline in three months — to a seasonally adjusted 187,000 for ​the week ended July 18, the Labor Department said on Thursday. That ​was the lowest level of new applications since September 1969 and ⁠came as economists polled by Reuters had forecast new claims would edge up to ​212,000 in the latest week.” (07/23/26)

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-weekly-jobless-claims-fall-sharply-latest-week-2026-07-23/