U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Inch Slightly Higher

(RTTNews) - First-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits crept slightly higher in the week ended March 15th, according to a report released by the Labor Department on Thursday.

The report said initial jobless claims inched up to 223,000, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's revised level of 221,000.

Economists had expected jobless claims to rise to 224,000 from the 220,000 originally reported for the previous week.

The Labor Department said the less volatile four-week moving average also edged up to 227,000, an increase of 750 from the previous week's revised average of 226,250.