Applications for U.S. unemployment insurance fell for the first time in four weeks but held near the highest level since November, indicating continued moderation in the labor market.
Initial unemployment claims decreased by 5,000 to 256,000 in the week ended July 23, Labor Department data showed Thursday. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 250,000 applications.
Continuing claims for state benefits fell to 1.36 million in the week ended July 16.