First-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits edged slightly lower in the week ended August 24th, according to a report released by the Labor Department on Thursday.
The report said initial jobless claims slipped to 231,000, a decrease of 2,000 from the previous weeks revised level of 233,000.
Economists had expected jobless claims to come in unchanged compared to the 232,000 originally reported for the previous week.
The Labor Department said the less volatile four-week moving average also dipped to 231,500, a decrease of 4,750 from the previous weeks revised average of 236,250.