Jobless claims rise a touch less than expected
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits rose a little less than expected last week, according to figures released by the Department for Labor on Thursday.
Initial jobless claims increased by 4,000 from the previous week to 214,000, coming in a touch below expectations for a level of 215,000.
The four-week moving average came in at 214,750, up 1,000 from the previous week.
The four-week average is considered more reliable as it smooths out sharp fluctuations in the more volatile weekly figures, giving a more accurate picture of the health of the labour market.
Continuing claims - i.e. the number of people already collecting unemployment benefits - fell to 1.679 million from a revised 1.689m versus expectations of 1.682m. The previous week's level was revised up by 5,000.