U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Decrease

(RTTNews) - A report released by the Labor Department on Thursday showed an unexpected decline in first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits in the week ended September 12th.

The Labor Department said initial jobless claims fell to 196,000, a decrease of 10,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 206,000. Economists had expected jobless claims to inch up to 208,000.

The report said the less volatile four-week moving average also slipped to 203,250, a decrease of 2,750 from the previous week's unrevised average of 206,000.