New US Unemployment Benefit Claims 221,000…Job Market Still Robust

The US Department of Labor announced that the number of new unemployment benefit claims last week (second week of July) was 221,000. This is a figure that falls short of the market expectation of 233,000, showing that the US employment market still maintains a strong trend.

This announcement supports employment stability and is attracting attention as an indicator that could influence the Federal Reserve's interest rate policy. In particular, there is ongoing assessment that labor demand remains strong despite the recent slowdown in inflation, and this is expected to act as a factor supporting consumer spending.

Meanwhile, while the Federal Reserve officials are continuing discussions on rate cuts while being wary of the impact of tariffs and the possibility of growth slowdown, the solid employment figures could act as a variable that may slightly delay expectations for the timing of the rate cut.