TOKYO — Global stocks mostly fell on Thursday ahead of a weekly U.S. unemployment report that is expected to show that layoffs remained stuck at a high level since the viral pandemic erupted five months ago.
Jobless claims have been totaling about 16 million lately, with weekly numbers of people seeking unemployment checks growing to levels unseen since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Though the rate of applications for unemployment benefits has reached its lowest point since March, it has exceeded 1 million for 20 straight weeks — well above the record high that predated the pandemic.
