Weekly jobless claims drop to 216,000

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glegorly/iStock(WASHINGTON) — Jobless claims took a dip last week, falling by 23,000, according to the latest figures released Thursday by the Labor Department.

For the week ending Feb. 16, the number of people filing for benefits dropped from an unrevised level of 239,000 the previous week to 216,000.

The four-week average, meanwhile, increased by 4,000 to 235,750 from the previous week’s unrevised average of 231,750. The Labor Department said this was the highest four-week average since Jan. 20, 2018, when it was 237,500.

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