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[leslie]

Hi,

I read this report from Business Week and I have 3 questions to ask.

Economic reports on big-ticket orders and weekly jobless claims came in slightly stronger than expected....Jobless claims fell 7,000 to 298,000 in the week ended July 22. New home sales fell 3% to 1.13 million units in June, weaker than forecast.

My qestions are:
1. What does 'came in' here mean?
2. What does fell 7,000 to 298,000 mean? Could you please explain it as simple as you can? Or paraphrase it?
3. What does fell 3% to 1.13 million units mean?

Thank you very much and have a wonderful weekend.

Leslie
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Less Is Blessed

[CP]

1. "What does 'came in' here mean?" The expectation was that big-ticket orders (purchases of large, expensive items like refrigerators) and jobless claims (unemployment claims by people) turned out to be greater than expected. When the information came it, the data were higher than expected.

2. "What does fell 7,000 to 298,000 mean?" The number of jobless claims was 298,000, which was 7,000 fewer claims than last week. The number fell from 305,000 to 298,000.

3. "What does fell 3% to 1.13 million units mean?" Same idea. The final figure for sales of homes was 1.13 million units, which was 3% lower than the previous period. Here, the amount by which the number "fell" was expressed in percentage, rather than in absolute number.
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You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[leslie]

Thanks, CP. I got the clear picture now after your thorough explanation.

Leslie
_________________
Less Is Blessed