(RTTNews) - First-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits fell by much more than expected in the week ended July 6th, the Labor Department revealed in a report released on Thursday.
The report said initial jobless claims slid to 222,000, a decrease of 17,000 from the previous week's revised level of 239,000.
Economists had expected jobless claims to edge down to 236,000 from the 238,000 originally reported for the previous week.
The Labor Department said the less volatile four-week moving average also dipped to 233,500, a decrease of 5,250 from the previous week's revised average of 238,750.
