May 18 Initial Claims Preview - 08:30.......>

US DATA: May 18 Initial Claims Preview - 08:30 EDT/13:30 BST

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- Initial claims are expected to rise by 3,000 to 215,000 in the May 18

employment survey week, based on both the Bloomberg consensus and an MNI survey

of analysts.

- Seasonal adjustment factors expect unadjusted claims to rise modestly in the

May 18 week after declines in the previous three weeks.

- Claims were at a decades-low level of 193,000 in the April 13 survey week,

while claims are likely to be up month/month, it does not suggest significant

deterioration in the employment picture.

- The four-week moving is likely to decline over the coming weeks as the recent

peak levels move out of the equation.