Jobless claims better than expected last week and lowest in two months

Weekly jobless claims came in a bit less than expected last week though U.S. employment gains remain sluggish.

First-time claims for unemployment insurance totaled 779,000 for the week ended Jan. 30, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That was below the 830,000 estimate from economists surveyed by Dow Jones.

This was the lowest week for claims since Nov. 28 as the U.S. economy continues its slow recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

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