(RTTNews) - A report released by the Labor Department on Thursday showed first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits unexpectedly dipped in the week ended July 11th.
The Labor Department said initial jobless claims fell to 208,000, a decrease of 8,000 from the previous week's revised level of 216,000.
Economists had expected jobless claims to rise to 220,000 from the 215,000 originally reported for the previous week.
Meanwhile, the report said the less volatile four-week moving average edged down to 214,250, a decrease of 4,750 from the previous week's revised average of 219,000.
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