A report released by the Labor Department on Thursday showed a slight increase in first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits in the week ended September 23rd.
The Labor Department said initial jobless claims crept up to 204,000, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's revised level of 202,000.
Economists had expected jobless claims to rise to 215,000 from the 201,000 originally reported for the previous week.
Meanwhile, the report said the less volatile four-week moving average dipped to 211,000, a decrease of 6,250 from the previous week's revised average of 217,250.
