US weekly jobless claims rise 4,000
Afp, Washington
The number of people filing first-time claims for US unemployment benefits rose 4,000 to 313,000 in the latest week, the Labor Department said Thursday, but a key indicator fell to a four-month low. The rise in the week ended June 17 was in line with expectations. The four-week moving average of claims, however, fell 6,000 to 305,500, the lowest level since February 25. Economists prefer the four-week average of claims because it smoothes out fluctuations in the weekly data. First-time claims in the prior week rose a revised 12,000 to 309,000, compared with last week's estimate of 308,000 first-time claims. The number of people continuing to file claims for unemployment insurance rose 54,000 to 2.41 million in the week ended June 17.
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