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Post by bot on Feb 21, 2014 6:32:46 GMT -5
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - The number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week edged down by 3,000 to 336,000, indicating little change in the U.S. labor market. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected claims to drop to a seasonally adjusted 335,000 in the week ended Feb. 15. The average of new claims over the past month, a more reliable gauge than the volatile weekly number, rose by 1,750 to 338,500, the Labor Department said Thursday. That's the highest level since the first week of January. Also, the government said continuing claims increased by 37,000 to a seasonally adjusted 2.98 million in the week ended Feb. 8. Continuing claims reflect the number of people already receiving benefits. Initial claims from two weeks ago were unrevised at 339,000.
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