First-time claims for US unemployment benefits climbed by more than expected in the week ended August 8th, according to a report released by the Labor Department on Thursday.
The report said initial jobless claims rose to 209,000, an increase of 9,000 from the previous week's revised level of 200,000.
Economists had expected jobless claims to inch up to 203,000 from the 199,000 originally reported for the previous week.
The Labor Department also said the less volatile four-week moving average came in at 199,000, unchanged from the previous week's revised average.