U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Decrease

(RTTNews) - A report released by the Labor Department on Thursday showed first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits unexpectedly declined in the week ended September 20th.

The Labor Department said initial jobless claims fell to 218,000, a decrease of 14,000 from the previous week's revised level of 232,000.

Economists had expected jobless claims to inch up to 235,000 from the 231,000 originally reported for the previous week.

The report said the less volatile four-week moving average also slipped to 237,500, a decrease of 2,750 from the previous week's revised average of 240,250.