WASHINGTON - Initial jobless claims decreased 6,000 to 472,000 for the week ending Aug. 28, dropping for the second week in a row, the Labor Department reported today.
Continuing claims for the week ending Aug. 21 also fell, to 4.456 million, the lowest level since June.
The figures matched or closely aligned with expectations of economists, who projected 473,000 initial claims and 4.456 million continuing claims, according to the median estimate from Thomson Reuters.
The previous week's initial claims figure was revised higher to 478,000 from 473,000.
The four-week moving average of initial claims, a less volatile figure, decreased to 485,500 from a revised 488,000 the previous week, originally reported as 486,750.
The four-week average for continuing claims dropped to 4,485,250 million, down 28,500 from the previous week's revised average of 4,513,750, originally reported as 4,508,750.
