Investing.com - The number of people who filed for unemployment assistance in the U.S. last week fell more than expected, according to official data released on Thursday.
The number of individuals filing for initial jobless benefits in the week ending January 13 fell by 41,000 to a seasonally adjusted 220,000 from 261,000 in the prior week, the Labor Department said.
Analysts had expected claims to fall to 250,000 last week.
The four-week moving average fell by 6,250 to 244,500 last week. The monthly average is seen as a more accurate gauge of labor trends because it reduces volatility in the week-to-week data.
Continuing jobless claims, which measures the number of people still receiving benefits after an initial week of aid, came in at 1.95 million.