Jobless Claims Fall Slightly Last Week

Washington, DC, Jan. 8, 2015 -- Initial claims for unemployment benefits fell slightly last week and remained below 300,000, according to the Labor Department.

Initial claims dropped to 294,000 from an unrevised 298,000 in the prior week.

Economists had expected claims to total a seasonally adjusted 290,000.

The average of new claims over the past month fell by 250 to 290,500. Continuing claims rose by 101,000 to a seasonally adjusted 2.45 million in the week ended Dec. 27.