First-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits showed a modest increase in the week ended August 3rd, according to a report released by the Labor Department on Thursday, although claims still came in below economist estimates.
The report showed that initial jobless claims edged up to 333,000, an increase of 5,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 328,000. Economists had expected jobless claims to climb to 336,000 from the 326,000 originally reported for the previous week.
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May 22, 2026 14:46 ET Minutes of the latest Fed policy session was the highlight of the week along with survey data on the U.S. housing market. In Europe, survey data signaled the trends in the euro area private sector. Further, consumer price inflation data from the U.K. was in focus. In Asia, various economic indicators from China drew attention to the health of the economy.