Jobs
US Initial Jobless Claims Drop for the First Time in Three Weeks
- Filings for unemployment benefits fell to 218,000 last week
- Declines in initial claims were broad-based across states
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Applications for US unemployment benefits fell for the first time in three weeks, suggesting employers are still largely holding on to their workers.
Initial claims decreased by 9,000 to 218,000 in the week ended Feb. 3, according to Labor Department data out Thursday. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 220,000.