Employment

Weekly Initial Jobless Claims Down 6.1% to 473,000 

The number of people filing for unemployment benefits fell for the first time in a month, with initial claims falling 6.1% for the week ending Aug. 21. The decline exceeded analysts’ expectations; most consensus estimates had projected a slight decrease from the prior week, when about half a million people filed initial unemployment claims. The Labor Department said Thursday that seasonally-adjusted initial claims slid to 473,000 last week, down from an upwardly revised 504,000 for the previous week. Briefing.com consensus had expected claims to drop to 485,000.