(RTTNews) - The Labor Department released a report on Thursday showing an unexpected decrease by first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits in the week ended April 20th.
The report said initial jobless claims fell to 207,000, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 212,000. The dip surprised economists, who had expected jobless claims to inch up to 214,000.
The Labor Department said the less volatile four-week moving average also edged down to 213,250, a decrease of 1,250 from the previous week's unrevised average of 214,500.
