US jobless claims fall 21,000, more than forecasts
Initial claims for unemployment benefits in the States declined by 21,000 last week, signalling a continued improvement in the US labour market.
The number of Americans filing jobless claims for the first time in the week ended 14 February totalled 283,000, down from an unrevised 304,000 the previous week, according to the Department of Labor (DoL).
The consensus forecast was fora smaller decline to 290,000.
Meanwhile, the four-week moving average fell to 283.250, down 6,500 from 289,750 previously.
Analyst Jesse Hurwitz from Barclays pointed out that claims for week ending 14 February were 26,000 below the comparative week in January "which in our view reflects continued labour-market strength".
The DoL noted that there were no special factors affecting last week's data.