J P M O R G A N North America Economic Research 30 July 2026 Continuing claims also point toward lower unemployment over time, even if an unwind in June's participation rate drop pushes up unemployment in July. For the week ending July 18 continuing claims fell by 7k to 1.782mn. This report thus continues to send a more positive signal than other leading indicators of the unemployment rate, including the Conference Board labor market differential and NFIB survey, which have both pointed toward higher unempl ...