First-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits unexpectedly declined in the week ended April 22nd, according to a report released by the Labor Department on Thursday.
The report said initial jobless claims dipped to 230,000, a decrease of 16,000 from the previous week's revised level of 246,000.
Economists had expected jobless claims to inch up to 248,000 from the 245,000 originally reported for the previous week.
The Labor Department said the less volatile four-week moving average also edged down to 236,000, a decrease of 4,000 from the previous week's revised average of 240,000.
