US jobless claims fall, easing market fears
Latest numbers indicate that firings continue to ebb, though job losses remain high amid surging virus cases
Washington
APPLICATIONS for unemployment benefits in the US declined last week by more than projected, easing concerns of a renewed downturn in the labour market after several large states reported a pickup in Covid-19 cases.
Initial jobless claims in regular state programmes fell by 99,000 - the most in a month - to 1.31 million in the week ended July 4, Labor Department data showed on Thursday. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 1.375 million.
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