U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Decrease

(RTTNews) - First-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits unexpectedly dipped in the week ended January 10th, the Labor Department revealed in a report released on Thursday.

The Labor Department said initial jobless claims fell to 198,000, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week's revised level of 207,000.

Economists had expected jobless claims to rise to 215,000 from the 208,000 originally reported for the previous week.

The report said the less volatile four-week moving average also slipped to 205,000, a decrease of 6,500 from the previous week's revised average 211,500.

With the drop, the four-week moving average fell to its lowest level since hitting 203,250 in the week ended January 20, 2024.