US initial jobless claims fall to 236,000

(Sharecast News) - Americans lined up for unemployment benefits at a decelerated pace in the week ended 21 June, according to the Labor Department. Initial jobless claims fell by 10,000 to 236,000, down from the previous week's upwardly revised 246,000 print and better than the 245,000 analysts had expected to see.

Continuing claims increased to 1.97m from 1.93m, while the four-week moving average, which aims to smooth out week-to-week volatility, decreased by 750 to 245,000.

Elsewhere, the advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.3% for the week ended 14 June, unchanged from the previous week's unrevised rate.





Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com