U.S. Jobless Claims Fall to 194,000 as September Index Holds at 99.6

U.S. initial jobless claims fell to 194,000 for the week ended Oct. 17, while the September Leading Economic Index held at 99.6, adding labor and economic activity readings to Thursday’s market calendar.

Seasonally adjusted claims were down 6,000 from the prior week’s revised 200,000. The four-week average was 197,750. The claims release came at 8:30 a.m. ET (12:30 UTC).

The September index was unchanged at 99.6 when released at 10 a.m. ET (14:00 UTC). It is designed to signal business-cycle turning points and the direction of economic activity. One of the index’s 10 inputs is the average number of initial unemployment claims filed each week.

The releases were part of the broader Oct. 19-23 market calendar, which also included corporate earnings and an Nvidia keynote.