Morningstar

U.S. Jobless Claims Pull Back Again

Provided by Dow Jones Aug 27, 2026, 6:01:00 PM

By Dean Seal

U.S. jobless claims slid again last week, continuing this summer's rollercoaster ride for unemployment levels.

The number of people who filed for unemployment benefits was 203,000 in the week through Aug. 22, 4,000 lower than the upwardly revised 207,000 reported a week earlier, the Labor Department said Thursday. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal were expecting to see the figure come in at 208,000.

Continuing claims, which scale with the total size of the unemployed population, totaled just under 1.78 million in the week through Aug. 15, falling by 18,000 from the downwardly revised total a week earlier. The data on continuing claims lag the initial-claims data by a week.

Unemployment levels have ebbed and flowed in recent months, but remain near historic lows despite slow hiring as companies continue to forgo major layoffs.

Write to Dean Seal at dean.seal@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 27, 2026 09:01 ET (13:01 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

The articles, information, and content displayed on this webpage may include materials prepared and provided by third parties. Such third-party content is offered for informational purposes only and is not endorsed, reviewed, or verified by Morningstar.

Morningstar makes no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, or reliability of any third-party content displayed on this site. The views and opinions expressed in third-party content are those of the respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Morningstar, its affiliates, or employees.

Morningstar is not responsible for any errors, omissions, or delays in this content, nor for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Users are advised to exercise their own judgment and seek independent financial advice before making any decisions based on such content. The third-party providers of this content are not affiliated with Morningstar, and their inclusion on this site does not imply any form of partnership, agency, or endorsement.

Popular

3 Stocks to Sell and 3 Stocks to Buy for November

Plus, whether Microsoft, Alphabet, or Amphenol look attractive after earnings.

David Sekera, CFA and Sarah Hansen Nov 2, 2026

3 of the Best Dividend Stocks to Own

These dividend stocks with economic moats offer durable payouts.

Susan Dziubinski Nov 2, 2026

The 10 Best Companies to Invest in Now

The stocks of these high-quality companies look cheap today.

Tori Brovet Nov 2, 2026

These Overvalued Stocks Have Plenty of Room to Fall

Why investors should be wary of a refiner and financial-services stock trading well above our fair value estimates.

David Sekera, CFA, Sarah Hansen, and Jess Bebel Nov 5, 2026

It’s Been a Long Time Since Bonds Looked This Good

Yields are up, and durations are down, tilting the risk/reward in investors’ favor.

Jeffrey Ptak, CFA Nov 3, 2026

Sponsor Center

Transparency is our policy. Learn how it impacts everything we do

Transparency is how we protect the integrity of our work and keep empowering investors to achieve their goals and dreams. And we have unwavering standards for how we keep that integrity intact, from our research and data to our policies on content and your personal data.

We’d like to share more about how we work and what drives our day-to-day business.

How we make money

We sell different types of products and services to both investment professionals and individual investors. These products and services are usually sold through license agreements or subscriptions. Our investment management business generates asset-based fees, which are calculated as a percentage of assets under management. We also sell both admissions and sponsorship packages for our investment conferences and advertising on our websites and newsletters.

How we use your personal data

How we use your information depends on the product and service that you use and your relationship with us. We may use it to:

Verify your identity, personalize the content you receive, or create and administer your account.
Provide specific products and services to you, such as portfolio management or data aggregation.
Develop and improve features of our offerings.
Gear advertisements and other marketing efforts towards your interests.

To learn more about how we handle and protect your data, visit our privacy center.

How we approach editorial content

Maintaining independence and editorial freedom is essential to our mission of empowering investor success. We provide a platform for our authors to report on investments fairly, accurately, and from the investor’s point of view. We also respect individual opinions––they represent the unvarnished thinking of our people and exacting analysis of our research processes. Our authors can publish views that we may or may not agree with, but they show their work, distinguish facts from opinions, and make sure their analysis is clear and in no way misleading or deceptive.

To further protect the integrity of our editorial content, we keep a strict separation between our sales teams and authors to remove any pressure or influence on our analyses and research.

Read our editorial policy to learn more about our process.

© Copyright 2026 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved. Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, Nasdaq, and Morningstar Index (Market Barometer) quotes are real-time.