U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Dip More Than Expected

(RTTNews) - First-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits fell by more than expected in the week ended November 15th, according to a report released by the Labor Department on Thursday.

The report said initial jobless claims dipped to 220,000, a decrease of 8,000 from the previous week's level of 228,000. Economists had expected jobless claims to edge down to 223,000.

The Labor Department said the less volatile four-week moving average also slipped to 224,250, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's average of 227,250.