Investing.com - The number of people who filed for unemployment assistance in the U.S. last week fell more than expected, remaining in territory consistent with a strengthening labor market, official data showed on Thursday.
The number of individuals filing for initial jobless benefits in the week ending July 7 declined by 18,000 to a seasonally adjusted 214,000 from the previous week’s total of 232,000, the U.S. Department of Labor said.
Analysts expected jobless claims to drop by 6,000 to 226,000 last week.
The four-week moving average was 223,000, down 1,750 from the previous 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 in the week ended June 30 dipped to 1.739 million from 1.742 million in the preceding week, compared to expectations for an decrease to 1.720 million.
The report added to expectations that the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates two more times this year.