The number of initial unemployment claims in the United States has increased to 241,000, a two-month high, casting doubt on the resilience of the job market.

One week after Easter, data from the US Department of Labor showed that for the week ending April 26, the number of initial claims for unemployment benefits in the United States increased by 18,000 to 241,000, the highest level since February this year, significantly higher than the market's median expectation of 223,000. Due to the uncertainty of the economic outlook, the number of initial claims for unemployment benefits has been in a slump. Any sustained growth in the number of initial claims for unemployment benefits may indicate that the currently resilient job market is weakening. Looking at the regions, the number of applicants in New York State alone increased by more than 15,500, which is related to spring break in some parts of the state. Without seasonal adjustments, the number of initial claims for unemployment benefits increased by approximately 12,900 last week. Although holiday factors often lead to data distortions, this fluctuation has still raised market alerts - the number of continued claims for unemployment benefits has climbed to 1.92 million, the highest since November 2021, indicating that the period for unemployed individuals to find new jobs is lengthening. Of particular concern is that the four-week moving average, which measures trends, has also risen to 226,000, a value that helps smooth out weekly fluctuations. This echoes the layoff data monitored by Challenger consulting firm: although the number of planned layoffs nationwide in April decreased to 105,400, which includes only about 2,700 layoffs related to government efficiency actions. Andrew Challenger, senior vice president of the company, stated that the reasons for corporate layoffs include economic and technological factors. At a time when cracks in the job market are beginning to show, the previously released ADP employment report further exacerbates the situation. Data released by ADP Research on Wednesday showed that the hiring pace of US businesses has fallen to the lowest level in nine months, and some service industries are also experiencing layoffs. This trend, along with the nonfarm data that the Federal Reserve is concerned about, creates expectations - although economists generally expect the April unemployment rate, to be announced on Friday, to remain at a low of 4.2%, the unusual fluctuations in initial claims have cast a shadow over the job market. After the data was released, the US dollar index fell by 17 points in the short term, now reported at 99.74.