US Initial Jobless Claims Preview: Hint of coming layoffs

The Department of Labor will issue its initial jobless claims for the week of March 13 on Thursday, March 19 at 12:30 GMT. Joseph Trevisani, an analyst at FXStreet with the preview.

Key quotes

“Initial claims are expected to rise to 220,000 from 211,000 the prior week. The four-week moving average is predicted to rise to 216,410 from 214,000.”

“Because these figures are released weekly at just a six-day delay they give the most timely indication of problems in the labor market.”  

“In the febrile state of the equity, currency and credit markets, confirmation of the slowdown thesis will likely reinforce current trends.”