In the week ending October 24, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 260,000, an increase of 1,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level of 259,000. The 4-week moving average was 259,250, a decrease of 4,000 from the previous week’s unrevised average of 263,250. This is the lowest level for this average since December 15, 1973 when it was 256,750.