New Unemployment Insurance Claims for The Week of December 6, 2025

Jobless Claims

Earlier today, the Labor Department released its weekly report on New Jobless Insurance Claims for the week that ended on December 6, 2025:

====================

Predicted: 225,000

• Actual: 236,000

====================

The yellow-highlighted figure represents the number of first-time claims for unemployment benefits for the entire United States. The "predicted" figure is what economists were expecting, while the "actual" is the true or real figure.

 --> Previous Week (revised): 192,000

• 4-Week Moving Average: 216,750

====================

• Click here to view the full Labor Department report

====================

--> www.FedPrimeRate.com Privacy Policy <-- CLICK HERE to JUMP to the TOP of THIS PAGE >  SITEMAP  <

Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) for OCTOBER 2025

Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS*) for October, 2025 was released by the Labor Department this morning:

=============

Job Openings

Predicted: 7,400,000

• Actual:   7,670,000

-------------------------

• Previous Month (revised): 7,658,000
  
  
• Change from Previous Month: +0.16% (+12,000)
   
  
• One-Year Previous: 7,615,000
  
  
• Change from One-Year Previous: +0.72% (+55,000)
  

=============

HIRES: 5,149,000

HIRES vs. 12 Months Previous: -3.76% (-201,000)

-----------

QUITS: 2,941,000

QUITS vs. 12 Months Previous: -8.58% (-276,000)

-----------

LAYOFFS + DISCHARGES: 1,854,000 

LAYOFFS + DISCHARGES vs. 12 Months Previous: +3.69% (+66,000)

-----------

TOTAL SEPARATIONS ^§: 5,050,000

TOTAL SEPARATIONS vs. 12 Months Previous: -4.45% (-235,000)

=============

 

§ = Here's How The Labor Department Defines Total Separations:

"Total separations includes quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Total separations is referred to as turnover. Quits are generally voluntary separations initiated by the employee. Therefore, the quits rate can serve as a measure of workers’ willingness or ability to leave jobs. Layoffs and discharges are involuntary separations initiated by the employer. Other separations includes separations due to retirement, death, disability, and transfers to other locations of the same firm."

=============

CHART: Number of Jobless People
per Job Opening, Seasonally Adjusted
OCTOBER 2010 thru OCTOBER 2025

=============
=============

• * = The JOLTS data series began back in December of 2000. 
  
  
• Click here to view the full Labor Department JOLTS report.
  
  

=============

--> www.FedPrimeRate.com Privacy Policy <-- CLICK HERE to JUMP to the TOP of THIS PAGE >  SITEMAP  <

Leading Economic Index for SEPTEMBER 2025

Recently, the Conference Board® released its Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for September 2025:

==============

Index for September 2025: 98.3 (The baseline 100 score is associated with 2016 data.)

==============

Predicted: -0.3%

• Actual: -0.3% (-0.3 point Month-on-Month)
  
  
• Change from 12 Months Ago: -3.34% (-3.4 points)

============== 

• LEI for August 2025: 98.6 
  
  
• LEI for July 2025: 98.9
  
  
• LEI for June 2025: 98.9
  
  
• LEI for May 2025: 99.1
   
• LEI for April 2025: 99.1
  
  
• LEI for March 2025: 100.4
  
  
• LEI for February 2025: 101.2
  
  
• LEI for January 2025: 101.4
  
  
• LEI for December 2024: 101.6
  
  
• LEI for November 2024: 101.7
   
• LEI for October 2024: 101.4
  
  
• LEI for September 2024: 101.7 

==============

The yellow-highlighted percentage is the month-to-month change for the index.  The "predicted" figure is what economists were expecting, while the "actual" is the true or real figure.

The LEI is a composite of 10 of the nation's economic data releases that's put together by The Conference Board. Statistically, the components listed below have shown a significant increase or decrease before national economic upturns or downturns:

1. The Standard + Poor's 500 Index
   
   
2. Average weekly claims for unemployment insurance
   
   
3. Building permits for new private housing
   
   
4. The interest rate spread between the yield on the benchmark 10-Year Treasury Note and Federal Funds
   
   
5. ISM® Index of New Orders
   
   
6. Manufacturer's new orders for consumer goods or materials
   
   
7. Manufacturer's new orders, non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft orders
   
   
8. Average weekly manufacturing hours
   
   
9. Average consumer expectations for business conditions
   
   
10. Leading Credit Index™

==============

CHART: Leading Economic Index
6-Month Growth Rate
with Warning + Recession Signal
SEPTEMBER 2025 UPDATE

==============

 

From Today's Report:

"...'The US LEI fell again in September, marking a second consecutive decline,' said Justyna Zabinska-La Monica, Senior Manager, Business Cycle Indicators, at The Conference Board.

'Weakening expectations from consumers and businesses led the overall contraction in the Index. Subindexes that contributed negatively to the LEI were consumer expectations and ISM® New Orders Index, followed by manufacturers' new orders of consumer goods & materials, initial claims for unemployment Insurance (inverted), and the yield curve.

However, stock prices, the Leading Credit Index, and manufacturers' new orders of nondefense capital goods excluding aircraft did contribute positively to the Index. The LEI suggests slowing economic activity at the end of 2025 and into early 2026, with GDP weakening after strong mid-year consumer spending and Q4 disruptions amid the federal government shutdown.

Overall, growth remains fragile and uneven as businesses adjust to tariff changes and softer consumer momentum. The Conference Board expects GDP to expand by 1.8% in 2025, before falling to 1.5% in 2026.'..."

==============
 

• Click Here to view the Conference Board report.
  

============== 

--> www.FedPrimeRate.com Privacy Policy <-- CLICK HERE to JUMP to the TOP of THIS PAGE >  SITEMAP  <

PCE Price Index + Personal Income + Consumer Spending Report for SEPTEMBER 2025

The Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released its report on The PCE Price Index, Consumer Spending and Personal Income for September 2025:

=============

Consumer Spending (Personal Consumption Expenditures)

Previous Reading: N/A

• Actual: +0.3%
  

=============

Personal Income

Previous Reading: N/A

• Actual: +0.4%

=============

The above highlighted percentages represent the month-to-month change in Consumer Spending (aka Personal Consumption Expenditures), Personal Income and Disposable Personal Income for the entire United States.

 

Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index
Previous Reading: N/A

• Actual: +0.3% 

• Change from 12 months previous: +3.0%
  (prior - revised = +2.9%)

=====================

Core PCE Price Index
( = PCE Price Index minus food and energy)
Previous Reading: N/A

• Actual: +0.2%

• Change from 12 months previous: +3.0%
  (prior - revised = +3.1%)

=====================

The yellow-highlighted percentages represent the month-to-month change in the prices associated with domestic personal consumption.  The PCE Price Index is different from the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in that it is a very broad measure of the prices associated with domestic products and services, while the CPI measures a more limited fixed basket of goods and services.

The broad nature of the PCE Price Index is key to why it is the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation.  The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) pays very close attention to it.

=====================

The "predicted" figures are what economists were expecting, while the "actual" figures are the true or real figure.

=====================

CHART: Change In Monthly Consumer Spending
SEPTEMBER 2025 UPDATE

=====================

 Click here to view the full
Commerce Department report (PDF). 

=====================

* =  Chained dollars is a method of adjusting real dollar amounts for inflation over time, so as to allow comparison of figures from different years. The Commerce Department introduced the chained-dollar measure in 1996. Chained dollars generally reflect dollar figures computed with 2012 as the base year.

--> www.FedPrimeRate.com Privacy Policy <-- CLICK HERE to JUMP to the TOP of THIS PAGE >  SITEMAP  <

U.S. Factory Shipments During SEPTEMBER 2025

The U.S. Census Bureau this morning released their report on Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories and Orders -- also known as Factory Orders -- for September, 2025:

========

Predicted: +1.4%

• Actual: +0.192% (+1,172,000,000)

========

• September, 2025 New Orders: $612,636,000,000.
  
  
• August, 2025 New Orders: $611,464,000,000.
  

========

• Change from 12 Months Ago (Year-on-Year):
  
  +$32,570,000,000 | +5.38% (not seasonally adjusted)
  

 ========

The yellow-highlighted percentage is the seasonally adjusted, month-to-month change in new shipments for both durable and nondurable goods made by U.S. manufacturers. The "predicted" figure is what economists were expecting, while the "actual" is the true or real figure.

=============

CHART: U.S. Factory Orders
SEPTEMBER 2025 Update

=============

• Click here to view the full Census Bureau report.

=============

--> www.FedPrimeRate.com Privacy Policy <-- CLICK HERE to JUMP to the TOP of THIS PAGE >  SITEMAP  <

Challenger Job Cuts Report for NOVEMBER 2025

The global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray and Christmas, Inc. released its job cuts report, for November, 2025:

-------------------------------

Job Cuts Announced During November 2025: 71,321

• Previous Month: 153,074

  > Change from previous month: -53.41% (-81,753 cuts)

--------------

• One-Year Previous: 57,727

 > Change from one-year previous: +23.55% (+13,594 cuts)

===================

From Today's Report:

"...WHY ARE COMPANIES CUTTING IN 2025?

In November, Restructuring led all reasons with 20,217 for a total of 128,255 in 2025. Store, unit, or department Closing accounted for 17,140 in November, and 178,531 for the year.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) was cited for 6,280 cuts in November. So far this year, AI is responsible for 54,694 layoff plans. Since 2023, when this reason was first cited, AI has led to 71,683 job cut announcements.

Market and Economic Conditions were cited for 15,755 job cuts in November. So far this year, 245,086 job cuts have been attributed to market and/or economic conditions. Tariffs have been cited for 7,908 job cuts this year with 2,061 occurring in November.

Though the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has not been the cause of job cut announcements in two months, “DOGE Impact” remains the leading reason for job cut announcements in 2025, cited in 293,753 planned layoffs so far this year. This includes direct reductions to the Federal workforce and its contractors.

An additional 20,976 cuts have been attributed to DOGE Downstream Impact, which reflects the loss of federal funding to private and non-profit entities..."

 ================

 

If corporate layoffs are high, consumer spending may decline, since there would be fewer people with steady jobs.

When corporate layoffs are low, this can mean that the job market is relatively tight, which can be a harbinger of wage inflation.

================

 Job Cuts - Month-by-Month Totals
NOVEMBER 2025 UPDATE
Copyright © Challenger, Gray and Christmas, Inc.

================

• Click here to read the full Challenger, Gray and Christmas report

=================

--> www.FedPrimeRate.com Privacy Policy <-- CLICK HERE to JUMP to the TOP of THIS PAGE >  SITEMAP  <

New Unemployment Insurance Claims for The Week of November 29, 2025

Jobless Claims

Earlier today, the Labor Department released its weekly report on New Jobless Insurance Claims for the week that ended on November 29, 2025:

====================

Predicted: 220,000

• Actual: 191,000

====================

The yellow-highlighted figure represents the number of first-time claims for unemployment benefits for the entire United States. The "predicted" figure is what economists were expecting, while the "actual" is the true or real figure.

 --> Previous Week (revised): 218,000

• 4-Week Moving Average: 214,750

====================

• Click here to view the full Labor Department report

====================

--> www.FedPrimeRate.com Privacy Policy <-- CLICK HERE to JUMP to the TOP of THIS PAGE >  SITEMAP  <

Import and Export Price Indexes for SEPTEMBER 2025

The Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics this morning released its report on U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes for September 2025:

===============

Import Prices
Previous Reading, revised: +0.1%
Actual: FLAT

• Change From 12 Months Previous: +0.3%

    -- Year-on-year previous reading = -0.1%

===============

Export Prices
Previous Reading, unrevised: +0.1%
Actual: FLAT

• Change From 12 Months Previous: +3.8%

    -- Year-on-year previous reading = +3.2%

===============
 
The above percentages, highlighted in yellow, represent the month-to-month change in prices for:

• Imports: the cost of goods produced in other countries and sold in the United States.
• Exports: the cost of goods produced in the USA and sold in other countries.

Together, these indexes offer insight into the status of inflation in the United States, and for the global economy as well. The "predicted" figure is what economists were expecting, while the "actual" is the true or real figure.

=================

CHART: Import Price Index

SEPTEMBER 2025 Update

================= 

CHART: Export Price Index

SEPTEMBER 2025 Update

===============

• Click here to view the full Labor Department report.

===============

--> www.FedPrimeRate.com Privacy Policy <-- CLICK HERE to JUMP to the TOP of THIS PAGE >  SITEMAP  <

ISM Manufacturing Index for NOVEMBER 2025

Earlier today, the Institute for Supply Management® (ISM®) released their Manufacturing Purchasing Manager's Index (PMI®) for November, 2025:

=========

Predicted: 48.0%

• Actual: 48.2% (-0.5 point month-on-month change)

=========

Previous month: 48.7%

=========

Every month, the ISM surveys purchasing and supply executives at hundreds of companies across the country who are involved in manufacturing in some form. The resulting index is watched closely by academics, economists and investors because manufacturing accounts for about 12% of U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The PMI is a reliable barometer of U.S. manufacturing: A PMI above 50% implies that U.S. manufacturing expanded during the month specified, while a reading below 50% implies that the made-in-the-USA sector contracted.

=========

From Today's Report:

"...Economic activity in the manufacturing sector contracted in November for the ninth consecutive month, following a two-month expansion preceded by 26 straight months of contraction, say the nation’s supply executives in the latest ISM® Manufacturing PMI® Report..."

=========

The Following Is A Sampling Of Quotes
From A Diverse Pool Of U.S. Manufacturers:

•     'New order entries are within the forecast. We have increased requests from customers to get their orders sooner. Transit time on imports seems to be longer.'
   (Machinery)
  

•     'We are starting to institute more permanent changes due to the tariff environment. This includes reduction of staff, new guidance to shareholders, and development of additional offshore manufacturing that would have otherwise been for U.S. export.'
   (Transportation Equipment) 

•     'Tariffs and economic uncertainty continue to weigh on demand for adhesives and sealants, which are primarily used in building construction.'
   (Chemical Products) 

•     'No major changes at this time, but going into 2026, we expect to see big changes with cash flow and employee head count. The company has sold off a big part of the business that generated free cash while offering voluntary severance packages to anyone.'
   (Petroleum + Coal Products) 

•     'Business conditions remain soft as a result of higher costs from tariffs, the government shutdown, and increased global uncertainty.'
   (Miscellaneous Manufacturing) 

•     'The unstable market has made pricing fluctuate in a very volatile way; I have had to reduce suppliers for raw materials to maintain a better direct cost structure. Reducing my suppliers has reduced the availability of some items and created longer lead times.'
   (Fabricated Metal Products) 

•     'Business continues to be a struggle regarding long-term sourcing decisions based on tariffs and landing costs. External (or international) sourcing remains the lowest-cost solution compared to U.S. production/manufacturing. The delta is smaller now, reducing margins.'
   (Computer + Electronic Products) 

•     'The government shutdown has impacted our access to agricultural data, impacting agricultural markets and, as a result, decisions we make. Optimism for a tariff exemption on palm oil percolated but hasn’t come to fruition at this time.'
   (Food, Beverage + Tobacco Products) 

•     'Trade confusion. At any given point, trade with our international partners is clouded and difficult. Suppliers are finding more and more errors when attempting to export to the U.S. -- before I even have the opportunity to import. Freight organizations are also having difficulties overseas, contending with changing regulations and uncertainty. Conditions are more trying than during the coronavirus pandemic in terms of supply chain uncertainty.'
   (Electrical Equipment, Appliances + Components) 

•     'Domestic and export business have been lackluster. Our customers are taking prompt orders only and still don’t have confidence to build inventory, much less make expansion plans. In fact, most of any kind of ‘planning’ has been undermined by unpredictability due to inconsistent messaging from Washington. Artificial intelligence is in its infancy stages, producing confusing and most often inaccurate information. This also causes apprehensive consumer buying patterns, contributing to the challenge of forecasting demand.'
   (Wood Products)
  

==========

CHART: ISM Manufacturing Index
November 2025 Update

=========

DATA: ISM Manufacturing Index

12-Month History
November 2025 Update

=========

=========

• Click here to view the complete ISM report

=========

--> www.FedPrimeRate.com Privacy Policy <-- CLICK HERE to JUMP to the TOP of THIS PAGE >  SITEMAP  <