Initial Jobless Claims Fall to 355,000

For a larger version of the chart, click on the image.

The number of Americans newly filing claims for unemployment benefits declined last week by 8,000 to a seasonally adjusted 355,000, in a sign of a continuation in the U.S. labor market's slow recovery, according to the Labor Department.

The less volatile four-week moving average of weekly initial jobless claims stood at 370,500.