US initial jobless claims fall by 2,000

(Sharecast News) - Americans lined up for unemployment benefits at a decelerated clip in the week ended 8 March, according to the Labor Department. Initial jobless claims fell by 2,000 to 220,000 last week, below market expectations for an uptick to 225,000, while continuing claims eased by 27,000 at 1.87m.

The four-week moving average, which aims to smooth out week-to-week volatility, increased by 1,500 week-on-week to 226,000.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.2%, unchanged from the previous week's unrevised rate.



















Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com