A report released by the Labor Department on Thursday showed a modest increase in first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits in the week ended November 5th.
The Labor Department said initial jobless claims crept up to 225,000, an increase of 7,000 from the previous week's revised level of 218,000.
Economists had expected jobless claims to inch up to 220,000 from the 217,000 originally reported for the previous month.
Meanwhile, the report said the less volatile four-week moving average edged down to 218,750, a decrease of 250 from the previous week's revised average of 219,000.
