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WASHINGTON, D.C. — An additional 870,000 Americans have filed for first-time unemployment assistance during the week ending Sept. 19, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday. The most recent figure is a slight increase from the previous week, when initial claims totaled 866,000. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones were surprised by the rise in claims, as they were expecting claims to total 850,000. The four-week moving average, however, decreased by 35,250 to 878,250 claims.
Continuing claims, for which data is a week behind, totaled nearly 12.6 million for the week ending Sept. 12. The most recent number available is a decrease of 167,000 claims.