Washington, DC, July 27, 2006-- Weekly jobless claims fell by 7,000 to 298,000 in the latest week, coming in below economists' expectations, the Labor Department said Thursday.
The four-week average of new claims, considered a more accurate indicator, also fell, dropping by 4,250 to 312,750.
The number of Americans continuing to collect unemployment benefits, meanwhile, fell by 23,000 to 2.47 million.
Economists were expecting jobless claims to rise in the latest week to 310,000.
