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: 国产三级小视频在线观看 | 美女被免费视频网站a国产 美女被免费网站视频软件 美女被免费网站在线软件 美女被免费网站在线视频软件 | 毛片在线视频在线播放 | 99久久精品国产一区二区 | 久草免费在线观看视频 | 国产精品黄色片 | 国产精品黄页在线播放免费 | 国产精品免费视频一区二区三区 | 国产精品久久久久久久久免费 | 欧美成在线 | 亚洲欧美日本国产 | 一级欧美过瘾大片 | 国模午夜写真福利视频在线 | 久久国产夜色精品噜噜亚洲a | 亚洲最黄视频 | 国产精品国产三级国产专播 | 国产高清成人 | 国产成人看片免费视频观看 | 日本xxxxx黄区免费看动漫 | 亚洲精品在线播放视频 | 国产高清免费在线 | 中文字幕无线码中文字幕网站 | 三级黄毛片 | 亚洲欧洲国产精品 | 国产在线精品成人一区二区三区 | 99毛片 | 国产免费高清在线精品一区 | 九九九热视频 | 最新亚洲精品 | 亚洲精品久久久久综合91 | 国产精品久久久久久久久久久搜索 | 99久99久6久热在线播放 | 久久爱噜噜噜噜久久久网 | 波多野结衣一区二区三区在线观看 | 中文字幕无线精品乱码一区 | 成人免费网站视频www | 国产ssss在线观看极品 | 欧美三级三级三级爽爽爽 | 香蕉视频一级片 | 久久久久久久久影院 | 日韩精品一区二区三区在线观看l |