The number of people who filed for unemployment assistance in the U.S. last week fell less than expected, but held near the lowest level since March 1973, underlining optimism over the health of the labor market.
The U.S. Department of Labor said the number of individuals filing for initial jobless benefits in the week ending March 25 declined by 3,000 to a seasonally adjusted 258,000 from the previous week's total of 261,000.
Analysts expected jobless claims to fall by 13,000 to 248,000 last week.
The four-week moving average was 254,250, up 7,750 from the previous week. The monthly average is seen as a more accurate gauge of labor trends because it reduces volatility in the week-to-week data.
