The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, pointing to a tightening labour market.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 267,000 for the week ended June 13, the U.S. Labor Department said on Thursday.
Claims for the prior week were not revised. It was the 15th straight week that claims held below 300,000, a threshold usually associated with a firming labour market.
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday gave an upbeat assessment of the labour market. The U.S. central bank's policy-setting committee said in its statement that on balance, a range of job market indicators "suggests that underutilization of labor resources diminished somewhat."
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims falling to 275,000 last week. A department analyst said there was nothing unusual in the state level data.
The four-week moving average of claims, considered a better measure of labour market trends as it irons out week-to-week volatility, fell 2,000 to 276,750 last week.
