U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Edge Slightly Lower

(RTTNews) - The Labor Department released a report on Thursday unexpectedly showing a slight dip in first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits in the week ended September 5th.

The report said initial jobless claims edged down to 206,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised level of 207,000.

Economists had expected jobless claims to inch up to 208,000 from the 206,000 originally reported for the previous week.

The Labor Department said the less volatile four-week moving average also slipped to 206,000, a decrease of 1,500 from the previous week's revised average of 207,500.