The Fed last week left its benchmark overnight interest rate unchanged in the current 5.25%-5.50% range, where it has been since July.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 11,000 to a seasonally adjusted 211,000 for the week ended April 6, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 215,000 claims in the latest week.
Applications for unemployment benefits fell by 3,000 to 217,000 for the week ending November 4, the Labor Department reported on November 9.
Applications for jobless aid in the U.S. for the week ending Jan. 28 fell by 3,000 last week to 183,000, from 186,000 the previous week, the Labor Department reported
Applications for jobless aid fell to 225,000 for the week ending Nov. 26, a decline of 16,000 from the previous week's 241,000, the Labour Department reported Thursday
New weekly applications for unemployment benefits were extremely low early this year -- staying below 200,000 for much of February, March and April.
Experts globally are agreed that the Fed will increase interest rates, and the focus is on the magnitude of the hike.
The four-week average for claims, which compensates for weekly volatility, fell to 223,000 from the previous week's 231,750.
The blue-chip Dow was set to rise for a seventh straight session, its longest streak of gains since March.
Thursday's report from the Labor Department showed that applications declined 92,000 from a revised 590,000 a week earlier.
Of the more than 22 million jobs that disappeared in the spring, 10 million remain lost
That’s the latest sign that the US economy is losing momentum just as federal aid to the unemployed has been pulled away
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits slipped 3,000 to a seasonally adjusted 223,000 for the week ended March 2, the Labor Department said on Thursday.
Indian equities are likely to start off on a soft note today taking a breather from the two-day post-Budget rally which led the Sensex closing at a 4-month high Thursday. Indicator SGX Nifty was up 19 points at 8753.50.
Gold extends gains after disappointing retail sales, jobless claims
After falling as much as 232 points during the session, the Dow Jones industrial average ended down 176 points.
Gold, silver tread water ahead of ECB rate decision, jobless claims
US stocks rose on Thursday, boosted by gains in shares of materials companies, including iron ore producer Cliffs Natural Resources Inc , and by a drop in weekly jobless claims.
MARKETS-OIL:Brent inches up towards $112 as China data beats expectations
Cisco's disappointing outlook and weekly jobless claims may serve as distractions to a market that will otherwise be focused on Europe.
Weekly jobless claims is the number to watch Thursday for clues about the already much-anticipated March jobs report.
With today being the first day of a new expiry session, last day of trade in 2011 is expected choppy for Indian equities. Here is a look at a few local and global cues that will affect the way market moves today.
Amid all the gloom and doom about unemployment, there are growing signs that things may actually be getting better.
US president Barack Obama unveils the jobs plan, lays out a USD 447 billion dollars package in tax cuts and government spending to help boost the US economy.
Experts join CNBC-TV18 to opine on the outcome of the Jackson Hole meeting where US Fed chairman, Ben Bernanke, announced no new policy, but did not entirely dismiss the idea of an additional stimulus.