U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Edge Lower

(RTTNews) - A report released by the Labor Department on Wednesday showed an unexpected dip by first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits in the week ended November 22nd.

The Labor Department said initial jobless claims slipped to 216,000, a decrease of 6,000 from the previous week's revised level of 222,000.

Economists had expected jobless claims to inch up to 225,000 from the 220,000 originally reported for the previous week.

The report said the less volatile four-week moving average also edged down to 223,750, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised average of 224,750.