Decline in U.S. Jobless Claims Shows More Labor Market Strength

An assembly line worker loads cast iron cookware in South Pittsburg, Tennessee.

Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg
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Fewer Americans than forecast filed for unemployment benefits last week, a sign labor market momentum continues to strengthen.

Jobless claims declined by 12,000 to 267,000 in the period ended June 13, the lowest since the week ended May 9, a Labor Department report showed Thursday. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 277,000 new applications. The figure corresponds to the week the government surveys employers to calculate the monthly payroll data.