U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Dip Slightly More Than Expected

(RTTNews) - First-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits fell by slightly more than expected in the week ended February 8th, according to a report released by the Labor Department on Thursday.

The report said initial jobless claims dipped to 213,000, a decrease of 7,000 from the previous week's revised level of 220,000.

Economists had expected jobless claims to slip to 215,000 from the 219,000 originally reported for the previous week.

The Labor Department said the less volatile four-week moving average also edged down to 216,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised average of 217,000.