On Thursday, the Labor Department divulged a report indicating that initial applications for unemployment benefits in the U.S. increased more notably than projected in the week ending on January 20th.
The report pointed out that the initial jobless claims surged to 214,000, a rise of 25,000 from the revised figure of 189,000 in the prior week. Analysts had anticipated that initial jobless claims would increase to 200,000 from the initial 187,000 reported for the week prior.
Concurrently, the report noted that the four-week moving average, typically regarded as a more stable measure, marginally decreased to 202,250, falling by 1,500 from the former week's amended average of 203,750.
