US Jobless Claims Disappoint
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--New applications for unemployment benefits stayed nearly unchanged from last week, showing that the labor market's recent improvement may be slowing.</br></br>Initial jobless claims decreased by 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 388,000 in the week ended April 21, the Labor Department said Thursday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires predicted that 376,000 new claims would be filed last week.</br></br>It was the third straight week the level topped 385,000 -- claims haven't stayed that consistently high since November.</br></br>The prior week's level of claims was revised up to 389,000 from a previously reported 386,000.</br></br>The four-week moving average of claims, which smoothes out week-to-week volatility, increased by 6,250 to 381,750, the highest reading since the first week of the year.