Job Data, Positive

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - The number of Americans who filed applications for unemployment benefits inched down by 1,000 last week to 404,000, the government reported Thursday. Initial claims from two weeks ago were revised up to 405,000 from an original reading of 401,000, the Labor Department said. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected new claims in the week ended Oct. 8 to climb to 406,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis. The average of new claims over the past four weeks, meanwhile, dropped by 7,000 to 408,000, the lowest level since mid-August. The number of Americans who continue to receive regular state unemployment checks declined by 55,000 to 3.67 million in the week ended Oct 1. About 6.82 million people received some kind of state or federal benefit in the week of Sept. 24, down 39,203 from the prior week.