High-Freq Data and DOGE Monitor - 2026-01-14

Date: 
Thursday, January 15, 2026
Summary: 

New claims smash expectations, with the second-smallest number since last September. Meanwhile, DOGE marches slowly and silently along, with cumulative federal and federal-adjacent net jobs losses passing 10,000 for the first time. And in the background, US gasoline consumption is steadily rising, even in the season when people supposedly drive less.