Jobless Claims Fall 5,000 for Week

Initial jobless claims fell by 5,000 last week, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Claims declined to 457,000, about in line with economists’ forecasts, Bloomberg reported.

The four-week moving average, a less volatile measure, fell to 471,250 from 475,500 the previous week.

Continuing jobless claims for the previous week ended March 6 fell 12,000 to 4.58 million, though that does not include those receiving extended unemployment benefits.