A report released by the Labor Department on Thursday showed a continued decrease in first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits in the week ended August 14th.
The Labor Department said initial jobless claims fell to 348,000, a decrease of 29,000 from the previous week's revised level or 377,000.
Economists had expected jobless claims to edge down to 363,000 from the 375,000 originally reported for the previous week.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.