Initial unemployment claims -23k to 259k in.>

US DATA: Initial unemployment claims -23k to 259k in Sept 16 employment 

survey week, well below the 305k expected, but still above the 232k 

level in the Aug 12 employment survey week. Unadjusted initial claims in 

Texas -23,549 to 28,475, but Florida claims more than doubled from Sept 

9 week, +5,133 to 9,906 and Puerto Rico +2,245 to 2,528. It appears 

that displaced workers are having difficulty filing, so there could be a 

surge in the coming weeks when they are able to file for benefits. The 

4-wk moving avg +6,000 to 268,750, the highest since the June 4, 2016 

week, and could rise further as the headline number climbs in the 

coming weeks. Seasonal factors had expected an increase of 18,607 in NSA 

claims. Instead, NSA claims only +13 to 212,297, only modestly above the 

level a year earlier. There were state claims estimated this week for 

South Carolina and the Virgin Islands. Continuing claims +44k to 1.980m 

in the Sept 9 week, showing some impact of hurricane-related filings, 

but still below the level a year earlier. See MNI main wire.