US jobless claims rose above expectations, signaling mild labor-market cooling without changing the broader employment picture. 📌 The latest data showed initial jobless claims rising to 225,000 for the week ending May 30, above the 213,000–215,000 forecast range and up 13,000 from the prior week’s revised level. 🔎 This was the highest reading since early February 2026, but it is not yet a strongly negative signal because the absolute level remains low by historical standards. The 4-week average rose only modestly to 214,750, suggesting the move may still be partly distorted by seasonal effects around the Memorial Day holiday. 💡 The balancing point is continuing claims, which slipped slightly to 1.777 million, while the insured unemployment rate stayed at 1.2%. This suggests the US labor market is slowing, but there is still no clear sign of broad-based layoffs or serious deterioration. ⏱️ For financial markets, the data leans mildly dovish for the Fed, offering moderate support to bonds and gold while adding slight pressure on the US dollar. However, the impact remains limited as investors still need confirmation from the May NFP report. ⚠️ Overall, this is more of a light warning signal than a red flag. If NFP also comes in weak, expectations for a softer Fed stance could rise; if job growth remains stable, markets may treat this claims increase as short-term seasonal noise. #MacroInsights