U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Slightly Lower

(RTTNews) - The Labor Department released a report on Thursday showing first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits edged slightly lower in the week ended March 22nd.

The report said initial jobless claims slipped to 224,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised level of 225,000.

Economists had expected jobless claims to inch up to 225,000 from the 223,000 originally reported for the previous week.

The Labor Department said the less volatile four-week moving average also dipped to 224,000, a decrease of 4,750 from the previous week's revised average of 228,750.