The number of Americans who applied for unemployment benefits rose slightly last week to 204,000, but layoffs remained extremely low and there was no sign of rising unemployment.
New jobless claims edged up from a revised 202,000 in the prior week, the government said.
Claims show a very low number of job losses, indicating the economy is still on firm ground. Unemployment claims typically rise when the economy weakens and a recession approaches.
Economists had forecast new claims in the week ended Sept. 23 to total 214,000.
Before the report, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 were set to open higher in Thursday trades.
Source : Marketwatch
