First-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits unexpectedly showed a slight increase in the week ended November 10th, according to a report released by the Labor Department on Thursday.
The report said initial jobless claims inched up to 216,000, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 214,000. Economists had expected jobless claims to edge down to 212,000.
The Labor Department said the less volatile four-week moving average also crept up to 215,250, an increase of 1,500 from the previous week's unrevised average of 213,750.
Continuing claims, a reading on the number of people receiving ongoing unemployment assistance, also increased by 46,000 to 1.676 million in the week ended November 3rd.
The four-week moving average of continuing claims rose to 1,643,750, an increase of 8,750 from the previous week's revised average of 1,635,000.
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