U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Edge Lower

First-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits unexpectedly edged lower in the week ended August 4th, according to a report released by the Labor Department on Thursday.

The report said initial jobless claims dipped to 213,000, a decrease of 6,000 from the previous week's revised level of 219,000.

Economists had expected jobless claims to inch up to 220,000 from the 218,000 originally reported for the previous week.