Initial claims for unemployment insurance totaled 215,000, the lowest total since the beginning of the year and less than Wall Street estimates, the Labor Department said Thursday.
Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for first-time filings to total 225,000 for the week ended Feb. 26.
A separate report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that nonfarm productivity rose 6.6% in the fourth quarter, slightly less than the estimate for 6.7%. However, unit labor costs rose 0.9%, well ahead of the expected 0.3%.
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