久久亚洲国产成人影院-久久亚洲国产的中文-久久亚洲国产高清-久久亚洲国产精品-亚洲图片偷拍自拍-亚洲图色视频

  Home>News Center>World
         
 

Jobless claims, energy prices both soar
(AP)
Updated: 2005-09-15 22:20

A total of 68,000 Americans lost their jobs due to Hurricane Katrina and filed for unemployment benefits last week, pushing these applications up by the largest amount in nearly a decade.

The Labor Department reported that claims for benefits rose by 71,000 last week, with 68,000 of that total attributed to layoffs due to Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and other areas along the Gulf Coast. That figure exceeded the claims filed in the weeks following the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, and analysts predicted that it would be revised even higher once states catch up with processing a flood of claims.

Meanwhile, consumer inflation surged by 0.5 percent in August as energy prices shot up by the largest amount in more than two years, even before Katrina hit at the end of the month. The hurricane caused a further spike in energy prices due to widespread shutdowns of oil and natural gas facilities in the Gulf Coast region.

Analysts have predicted that Katrina, the country's worst natural disaster, will trim economic growth by as much as a full percentage point in the second half of this year and cost around 400,000 jobs.

While they do not believe that storm-related disruptions will be enough to push the country into a recession, they caution that this forecast could be proven wrong if energy prices keep soaring, triggering significant cutbacks in spending by consumers in other areas.

Phil Hopkins, managing director of U.S. regional services for Global Insight, estimates that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the area of New Orleans, Metairie and Kenner was 4.9 percent in July. He said that based on his calculations, the jobless rate there could easily climb to 25 percent.

The economy was expanding at a solid pace before Katrina hit and it is this momentum that analysts believe will help keep the economy from being pushed into a full-fledged downturn.

The report on jobless claims showed that the increase of 71,000 applications last week was the biggest one-week increase since a rise of 82,000 claims the week ending Jan. 20, 1996, a period when claims soared after a severe winter storm along the East Coast. The increase pushed total jobless claims to 398,000 last week, the highest weekly total in two years.

The 0.5 percent rise in consumer prices followed a similar 0.5 percent increase in July with inflation in both months being pushed higher by rising energy prices. Over 80 percent of the jump in inflation in August was attributed to a 5 percent surge in energy prices, the biggest one-month gain since March 2003.

The 71,000 gain in claims last week exceeded the one-week increases in layoffs seen after the Sept. 11 attacks although in the final two weeks of September, claims posted back-to-back increases of 59,000 and 64,000.

Analysts said the estimate of 68,000 jobless claims attributed to Katrina would certainly rise in coming weeks as state unemployment offices caught up with processing a flood of applications, many of them being taken from mobile units dispatched to evacuation centers such as the Astrodome in Houston.

The Labor Department, which initially estimated that 10,000 hurricane-related claims had been filed for the week ending Sept. 3, now estimates that figure to be between 15,000 and 16,000.

The 5 percent jump in energy prices was led by an 8.3 percent rise in gasoline prices, the biggest one-month gain since February 2003.

Analysts said energy prices will likely show another surge in September, reflecting the fact that after Katrina caused shutdowns of Gulf Coast production, the price of a gallon of gasoline soared to a nationwide average of more than $3 per gallon.

Outside of the volatile energy and food categories, so-called core inflation rose a modest 0.1 percent, the fourth straight month of small gains at this level.

However, economists have begun to worry that the surge in energy prices may soon start to spill over into other areas as many businesses are forced to add on fuel surcharges to reflect higher delivery costs for their products.

Over the last 12 months, overall consumer prices have risen by 3.6 percent, the biggest 12-month increase in inflation since a similar rise in the 12 months ending May 2001.

The big jump in inflation last month added to pressure on Americans' paychecks. Weekly earnings after adjusting for inflation fell by 0.5 percent in August following a decline of 0.1 percent in July.

Clothing prices, which had been falling, rose a sharp 1 percent in July but food prices continued to show moderation, edging up just 0.1 percent last month, reflecting prices declines for beef, pork, fruits and vegetables.



Suicide bombing kills at least 152 in Iraq
Afghanistan's President calls for increased support
Hurricane Ophelia
 
  Today's Top News     Top World News
 

Hu: China to provide US$10b for poor countries

 

   
 

China not planning more yuan revaluations

 

   
 

China: Sides far apart in N. Korea talks

 

   
 

Bush appreciates China's assistance

 

   
 

Hurricane Ophelia soaks North Carolina

 

   
 

US President Bush to visit China in November

 

   
  Revised 9/11 panel report released
   
  Bush to announce new help for hurricane region
   
  Blaze kills 30 in India
   
  Four bombings kill at least 31 in Iraq
   
  Aceh rebels set to hand over weapons under accord
   
  Annan seeks to restore UN credibility
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  News Talk  
  Are the Republicans exploiting the memory of 9/11?  
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 亚洲欧美视频一区二区三区 | 国产欧美一区二区成人影院 | 92精品国产成人观看免费 | 国产精品福利视频萌白酱 | 中文字幕福利视频 | a毛片免费观看完整 | 男人的天堂在线观看入口 | a级成人毛片久久 | 欧美日本一道高清二区三区 | 国产精品久久久久久久专区 | 国产精品国产 | 欧美色88| 成人免费视频在线看 | 久草视频资源在线观看 | 国产精品日韩欧美一区二区三区 | 欧美深夜在线 | 色婷婷色综合激情国产日韩 | 久久夜色精品国产噜噜亚洲a | 爱视频福利广场 | 欧美日韩综合精品一区二区三区 | 自拍三级视频 | 在线日韩中文字幕 | 综合自拍亚洲综合图区美腿丝袜 | 欧美一级特黄真人毛片 | 日韩中文字幕在线看 | 情侣偷偷看的羞羞视频网站 | 久久国产欧美另类久久久 | 国产精品视频网址 | 中文字幕人成乱码在线观看 | 午夜宅宅宅影院在线观看 | 色综合亚洲七七久久桃花影院 | 精品一区二区三区视频 | 国产精品九九免费视频 | 久热精品男人的天堂在线视频 | 一级做a爱片久久毛片 | 久久国产精品女 | 亚洲国产欧美在线人成 | 欧美超高清xoxoxoxo | 日本一道免费一区二区三区 | 女人张开腿让男人捅爽 | 成人亚洲欧美日韩中文字幕 |