reported on the 25th that the U.S. Department of Labor announced, for the week ended September 19, seasonally adjusted initial jobless claims decreased by 1,000 to 197,000, lower than the market expectation of 201,000. The data indicate that the U.S. labor market is gradually stabilizing after a period of weakness during the summer, with low levels of layoffs remaining a key supporting factor.

　　The four-week average of initial jobless claims was 202,250, down 1,750 from the previous week. For the week ended September 12, continuing claims for unemployment insurance increased by 2,000 to 1.719 million, compared to the market expectation of 1.75 million. (kk)