The number of initial unemployment claims this past week rose by a seasonally adjusted 8,000 to 312,000 last week. Economists who had been polled by Reuters had predicted that initial claims would reach 310,000. While the weekly initial claims increased, the four-week moving average fell again this week by 2,250 to 310,250. The four-week moving average is now the lowest since June 2007. Americans on unemployment after the initial week, also known as continuing claims, dropped for the fifth consecutive week to 2.60 million, the lowest since October 2007.
See "Jobless claim point to strong labor market", Lucia Mutikani, Reuters, June 4, 2014