U.S. initial jobless claims came in lower than expected for the past week, according to data released on Thursday.
US initial jobless claims ease
The Department of Labor reported that first-time claims for unemployment benefits totaled 227,000 in the week ending October 19, down from a revised 242,000 the previous week, which had initially been reported as 241,000. The latest figure came in below the forecast of 242,000, as cited by FXStreet.
However, continuing jobless claims for the week ending October 12 increased to 1.897 million, up from 1.869 million. This figure exceeded the consensus estimate of 1.880 million and marked the highest level of continuing claims since November 2021.
Four-week figures
Meanwhile, the four-week moving average of initial claims rose slightly to 238,500, compared to 236,500 in the previous period.
