US jobless claims up modestly last week

Associated Press/Matt Ott

Updated: Dec 8, 2022 / 07:47 AM CST

FILE – A Help wanted sign is displayed in Deerfield, Ill., Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022. The Labor Department reports on Thursday the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

Mortgage Calculator

This calculator helps you estimate your monthly mortgage payment. It adds up the loan payment (principal + interest), property tax, and insurance. The loan payment is spread out over the years of your loan term.

Loan Amount ($):

This is the total amount you're borrowing from the bank.

Annual Interest Rate (%):

This is the yearly interest rate on your loan.

Loan Term (years):

This is how long you'll take to repay the loan.

Annual Property Tax ($):

This is the yearly tax you pay on your property.

Annual Homeowners Insurance ($):

This is the yearly cost to insure your home.

Monthly Payment Breakdown

Principal and Interest: $

Property Tax: $

Homeowners Insurance: $

Total Estimated Monthly Payment: $

WASHINGTON (AP) — Slightly more Americans filed for jobless claims last week, but the labor market remains one of strongest parts of the U.S. economy.

Applications for unemployment benefits rose to 230,000 for the week ending Dec. 3, up by 4,000 from the previous week’s 226,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The four-week moving average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week volatility, rose by 1,000 to 230,000.

Jobless claims are seen as a proxy for layoffs, and combined with other employment data, show that American workers are enjoying extraordinary job security at the moment. That’s despite an economy some see in danger of tipping into a recession due to the aggressive actions of the Federal Reserve, which is trying to cool the economy by raising interest rates.