A day ahead of the release of the more closely watched monthly jobs report, the Labor Department released a report on Thursday showing first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits rose by more than expected in the week ended March 4th.
The report said initial jobless claims climbed to 211,000, an increase of 21,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 190,000. Economists had expected jobless claims to inch up to 195,000.
The Labor Department also said the less volatile four-week moving average crept up to 197,000, an increase of 4,000 from the previous week's unrevised average of 193,000.
