Initial Jobless Claims Fall for Week

Initial jobless claims fell by 21,000 last week to 530,000, the lowest level in two months, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Economists had forecast claims for the week ended Saturday would rise to 550,000 from a previously reported 545,000, Bloomberg reported.

The four-week moving average, a less volatile measure, fell to 553,000 for the week ended Saturday, the lowest level since January. The average was 564,500 a week earlier, Labor said.

The number of Americans collecting jobless benefits fell to 6.14 for the previous week ended Sept. 12.