US jobless claims fall for second week

Claims for unemployment benefits in the United States fell slightly last week, though continuing claims rose more than forecast, according to data from the Department of Labor released on Thursday.

Initial jobless claims fell to 233,000 in the week ended 21 June, down from 239,000 the week before, coming in below the consensus forecast of 235,000.

Claims declined for the second week after hitting a 10-month high of 243,000 in the first week of June.

However, the four-week moving average increased to 236,000 from 232,750 the week before.

Continuing claims data for the previous week ended 14 June showed a reading of 1.839m, up from a revised 1.821m the week before and well ahead of the 1.820m estimate.