ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø

Initial claims increased by 8,000 to 237,000 in the week ended Aug. 30. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 230,000 applications.

While a slight improvement from 48 in July, details of the ISM report were mixed and the gauge remained below the level of 50 that separates expansion and contraction.

Stronger demand is also fueling sustained inflationary pressures.

The U.S. trade deficit narrowed in April by the most on record on the largest-ever plunge in imports, illustrating an abrupt end to the massive front-loading of goods by some companies.

U.S. factory activity contracted in May for a third consecutive month and a gauge of imports fell to a 16-year low as firms pulled back in the face of higher tariffs.

Consumer sentiment fell to a more than two-year low and long-term inflation expectations jumped by the most since 1993, illustrating growing apprehension about the impact from tariffs.

U.S. small-business optimism in January suffered the biggest drop since 2022, due to weak profits and sales expectations, according to the National Federation of Independent Business.