After reporting modest increases in first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits over the three previous weeks, the Labor Department released a report on Thursday showing a slight pullback in initial jobless claims in the week ended July 23rd.
The report showed initial jobless claims edged down to 256,000, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week's revised level of 261,000.
Economists had expected jobless claims to inch up to 253,000 from the 251,000 originally reported for the previous week.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Economic News
What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
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.