8 signs of hope for the economy

While unemployment figures are expected to rise still further, there was a signs of hope in the Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report for the week ending April 25. The Department of Labor reported that seasonally adjusted initial claims for unemployment aid fell by 14,000 to 631,000.

"The past few weeks' claims data are beginning to look increasingly like a peak," wrote Ian Shepherdson of High Frequency Economics.

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