Initial jobless claims fell by 12,000 last week to 545,000, the Labor Department said Thursday.
Economists had forecast claims for the week ended Saturday would rise to 557,000 from a previously reported 550,000, Bloomberg reported.
The four-week moving average, a less volatile measure, fell to 563,000 for the week ended Saturday, from 571,750 a week earlier, Labor said.
The number of Americans collecting jobless benefits rose by 129,000 for the previous week ended Sept. 5, to 6.1 million.
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