ANSTIEG Erstanträge auf Arbeitslosenhilfe in den USA - 500 Beiträge pro Seite

[THECANADIEN]

WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Die Erstanträge auf Arbeitslosenhilfe in den USA sind
in der Woche zum 24. Februar um 39.000 auf saisonal bereinigt 372.000 unerwartet
stark gestiegen. Das teilte das Arbeitsministerium am Donnerstag mit.

Eine Umfrage bei Wall Street-Ökonomen zufolge war eine Abnahme der
Arbeitslosenerstanträge um 3.000 auf 345.000 im Vergleich zur Vorwoche erwartet
worden. Saisonale Einflüsse, Witterungsbedingungen und Entlassungen in der
Autoindustrie seien für den Anstieg verantwortlich, sagte das
Arbeitsministerium.

So hoch war die Zahl der Erstanträge zuletzt in der Woche zum 30. Dezember.
Der Vierwochendurchschnitt von Arbeitslosenerstanträgen stieg um 5.500 auf
352.500. Auf nicht bereinigter Basis stiegen die Arbeitslosenanträge in der
Woche zum 24. Februar um 9.614 auf 356.515. In der Vergleichswoche vor einem
Jahr hatte der entsprechende Wert noch 258.942 betragen./FX/mh/kh

[THECANADIEN]

U.S. spending jumps
Income higher than expected in January; savings rate declines
March 1, 2001: 9:44 a.m. ET


NEW YORK (CNNfn) - U.S. consumer spending outpaced personal incomes in January, bringing the personal savings rate to its lowest level on record, the government reported Thursday.

Spending rose 0.7 percent to $6.96 trillion for the month, after a 0.4 percent increase in December, the Commerce Department said. Americans` incomes rose 0.6 percent to $8.5 trillion, after a revised 0.4 percent increase in the previous month.

The increases in both income and spending were the biggest since September, whey they rose by 1.1 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively. January`s performance was largely in line with analysts` expectations.

The personal savings rate, savings as a percentage of after-tax income, hit negative 1 percent, the lowest rate on record, compared with negative 0.8 percent in December. Analysts say the savings rate doesn`t provide a complete picture of household finances because it doesn`t capture gains realized from things such as higher real-estate values or from financial investments.

The government said Americans` incomes were affected by a number of special factors in January. Cost-of-living adjustments to federal transfer payment programs and pay raises for federal employees and military personnel boosted overall income, while less generous federal payments to farmers subtracted from it.

Excluding those special factors, the government said, incomes rose 0.5 percent in January.

In testimony Wednesday, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said that sharp declines in consumer confidence over the past several months have not been accompanied by a sharp drop in spending, providing some hope the United States can avoid a protracted recession.

Consumer spending accounts for two-thirds of all economic activity. The latest data show that some segments of the economy remain healthy, analysts said.

"It`s a darn good start to the first quarter," Tim Rogers, chief economist at Briefing.com, told CNNfn`s Before Hours. The data underscore Greenspan`s comments Wednesday that the economy has strengthened early this year after a steep fall-off at the end of 2000, he said.

However, some analysts note that the increase in January spending may reflect signs of inflation more than confidence in the economy. The government reported last week that the January consumer price index, the most closely watched U.S. inflation gauge, rose at its fastest pace in 10 months.

Separately, new jobless claims jumped to 372,000 last week, well above forecasts and the previous week`s reading.

Stocks fell in early trading Thursday, while bonds traded higher.