First-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits edged higher in the week ended October 21st, according to a report released by the Labor Department on Thursday.
The report said initial jobless claims rose to 210,000, an increase of 10,000 from the previous week's revised level of 200,000.
Economists had expected jobless claims to rise to 208,000 from the 198,000 originally reported for the previous month.
The Labor Department said the less volatile four-week moving average also crept up to 207,500, an increase of 1,250 from the previous week's revised average 206,250.
