Coming up: U.S. weekly jobless claims
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) – The weekly report on U.S. jobless claims will be released at 8:30 a.m. Eastern. The number of people who applied for first-time benefits likely rose to 365,000 in the week ended Oct. 13, according to economists surveyed by MarketWatch. Last week, the Labor Department said initial claims had fallen to a four-year low of 339,000, but the decline may have stemmed from a statistical quirk in the report that could be reversed. As a result, Wall Street will pay closer attention than usual to the claims data. If claims remain on the low side, that could give a small boost to financial markets.