Lower Than Expected Initial Jobless Claims

Initial jobless claims for the latest week came in better than expected (363K vs. 370K) for the second straight week and also fell to their lowest level since October 5th.  Given the halt to business over the the last few days in the mid-Atlantic region, though, you can expect this number to rise in the weeks ahead.

The four-week moving average for initial claims also fell slightly this week to 367.3K.  This marks the 31st consecutive week that claims have not made a post-recession low, tying last year's streak from March to October.  With the expected increase in claims in the coming weeks, you can expect the current streak to eclipse last year's streak.

Finally, on a non-seasonally adjusted basis (NSA) claims fell to 339.8K, which marks the lowest level for the current week dating back to 2007.  It is also below the historical average of 362.9K for the current week dating back to 2000.

If you are an investor who is looking for new stock ideas?  Each week we publish "the Bespoke 50," a list of our favorite growth stocks in the Russell 3,000.  To make the list of 50, a stock must have strong earnings growth prospects along with an attractive price chart based on Bespoke's proprietary fundamental and technical analysis.

The "Bespoke 50" is released on a weekly basis, and in it you'll find the 50 stocks that made the cut, price charts for each of them, and an Excel file that you can download as well.

If you're interested in finding the 50 growth stocks that Bespoke finds most attractive, become a Bespoke Premium member today.  Please click here to subscribe.