The Labor Department released a report on Thursday showing a modest increase in first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits in the week ended March 25th.
The report said initial jobless claims rose to 198,000, an increase of 7,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 191,000. Economists had expected jobless claims to inch up to 196,000.
The Labor Department said the less volatile four-week moving average also crept up to 198,250, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's unrevised average of 196,250.
