Latest figures show that the number of US workers filing new applications for unemployment benefits fell by slightly less than expected last week, hinting at a slow labour market recovery.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits slipped 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 462,000 from 468,000 the previous week, the Labor Department said.
Separately, the Commerce Department said the US trade gap shrank 6.6% from December to $37.3 billion as oil imports fell to their lowest since February 1999. But US exports also declined. Analysts had expected the deficit to widen to $41 billion.
A Labor Department official said there were no special factors affecting the jobless claims data. The four-week moving average of new claims, which irons out week-to-week volatility, rose 5,000 to 475,500, the highest since late November.
