Initial filings for unemployment benefits dipped last week, indicating that the U.S. labor market remains tight and a potential factor in persistent inflation.
Weekly jobless claims totaled a seasonally adjusted 198,000 for the period ending Oct. 14, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That marked a decline of 13,000 from the previous week and was below the Dow Jones estimate for 210,000.
Claims have been in a general deceleration pattern since the summer, but some economists worry that could change. Announced layoffs have been on the rise in recent weeks, indicating that the tide of lower claims could turn soon.
Continuing claims, which run a week behind, totaled 1.734 million, up 29,000 from the previous week and higher than the FactSet estimate for 1.698 million.
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