WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A day ahead of the release of its more closely watched monthly jobs report, the Labor Department released a report on Thursday showing first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits unexpectedly edged slightly lower in the week ended September 26th.
The Labor Department said initial jobless claims slipped to 197,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised level of 198,000.
Economists had expected jobless claims to rise to 200,000 from the 197,000 originally reported for the previous week.
The report said the less volatile four-week moving average also dipped to 200,000, a decrease of 2,500 from the previous week's revised average of 202,500.
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