A survey has shown that the key US services sector moved closer to growth in August, in the latest sign of improvement in the struggling economy.
The Institute of Supply Management said its index of the non-manufacturing sector rose to 48.4 from 46.4 in July, the 11th consecutive monthly decline.
The survey, also known as the purchasing managers' index, fell short of the 50 level between growth and contraction, though it was slightly better than analysts had expected.
Among the details, the business activity sub-index returned to growth at 51.3 - the first time this has been positive since September 2008 - and new orders came in close at 49.9. But the employment index remained weak at 43.5, despite a two-point increase.
Separate figures from the Labor Department showed that new claims for US unemployment benefits fell to 570,000 in the week ending August 29 from the previous week's revised figure of 574,000. Most analysts had expected a slightly bigger drop.
The four-week moving average, which smoothes out week-to-week volatility, was 571,250, an increase of 4,000 from the previous week.
The total number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits rose. According to the department, the number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment or continuing claims during the week ending August 22 was 6.234 million, an increase of 92,000 from the preceding week.
