US Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Decline for a Second Week
- Initial applications slipped by 1,000 in week ended March 18
- Continuing claims were little changed at 1.69 million
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Applications for US unemployment benefits unexpectedly eased for a second week, underscoring a still-tight job market in which employers are reluctant to reduce headcount.
Initial filings for jobless benefits fell by 1,000 to 191,000 in the week ended March 18, Labor Department data showed Thursday. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 197,000 applications.