[anniegetyourgun]

The facts: The number of workers filing new applications for jobless benefits dropped to a five-month low last week. The more stable, four-week moving average of jobless claims, which smoothes out weekly fluctuations, fell by 5,500 last week to 419,250, the lowest level since the work week ending March 8. The number of unemployed Americans collecting jobless benefits for more than a week declined by 24,000 to a three-month low of 3.6 million for the work week ending July 12, the most recent period for which that information was available.

[snopercod]

The number of unemployed Americans collecting jobless benefits for more than a week declined by 24,000...

I find that a most irritating statistic. My jobless benefits ran out six months ago, and so did those of the 1500 people in my little county who lost their jobs earlier this year when the two biggest employers shut down.

But according to that statistic, things are bright again when we all drop off the rolls. They're not. It's a bogus statistic.

[y2k_free_radical]

JULY stats volatile and unreliable