US: Weekly initial claims was 259,000, a decrease of 23,000 from previous week

"In the week ending September 16, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 259,000, a decrease of 23,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 2,000 from 284,000 to 282,000," the US Department of Labor said on Thursday.

Key highlights:

• The 4-week moving average was 268,750, an increase of 6,000 from the previous week's revised average.
• The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.4 percent for the week ending September 9, unchanged from the previous week's unrevised rate. 
• The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending September 9 was 1,980,000, an increase of 44,000 from the previous week's revised level.
• The 4-week moving average was 1,953,000, an increase of 6,500 from the previous week's revised average.