Initial Jobless Claims Decline 9,000 for Week

Initial jobless claims fell by 9,000 last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

Applications for jobless benefits for the week ended Saturday declined to 346,000 from the previous week, Labor said.

Economists had forecast 345,000 new claims, Bloomberg News reported.

The four-week moving average, a less volatile measure, fell to 345,750, from 348,500.

Continuing jobless claims for the previous week ended June 15 was little changed at 2.97 million.