Continuing Jobless Claims Top 6 Million

Initial jobless claims fell last week, while continuing claims reached a record over 6 million, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Claims for the week ended Saturday fell 53,000 to 610,000, from a revised 663,000 the previous week, Labor said.

Economists had forecast a gain to 660,000, Bloomberg reported.

The four-week moving average, a less volatile measure, fell to 651,000, from 659,500 a week earlier.

The number of Americans collecting jobless benefits rose to a record 6.02 million in the previous week ended April 4, Labor said.