Initial jobless claims inched slightly higher in the week ended September 30th, according to a report released by the Labor Department on Thursday.
The report said initial jobless claims crept up to 207,000, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's revised level of 205,000.
Economists had expected jobless claims to rise to 210,000 from the 204,000 originally reported for the previous week.
Meanwhile, the Labor Department said the less volatile four-week moving average edged down to 208,750, a decrease of 2,500 from the previous week's revised average of 211,250.
