Investing.com - The number of people who filed for unemployment assistance in the U.S. fell broadly in line with market expectations last week, remaining in territory consistent with a strengthening labor market.
The U.S. Department of Labor said that the number of individuals filing for initial jobless benefits in the week ended November 3 decreased by 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 214,000 from the previous week’s upwardly revised total of 215,000.
The four-week moving average was 213,750, a decrease of 250 from the previous week. The monthly average is seen as a more accurate gauge of labor trends because it reduces volatility in the week-to-week data.
Continuing jobless claims in the week ended October 27 fell to 1.623 million, the lowest since 1973, from 1.631 million in the preceding week, compared to expectations for an increase to 1.635 million.