Initial Jobless Claims Fall Below 300,000

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he number of workers filing initial unemployment claims fell 5,000 last week to a five-year low, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

The decline to 299,000 was below economists’ predictions of a rise to 305,000, Bloomberg reported.

The four-week moving average of claims, a less volatile measure, fell to 308,500 from 311,250 a week earlier.