U.S. Jobless Claims Drop to 206,000 as Weekly Filings Fall Sharply

Initial unemployment claims in the U.S. fell 23,000 to 206,000 in the week ending February 14, Initial claim for the previous week was revised up to 229,000, while the four-week average slipped to 219,000. The insured unemployment rate held at 1.2% for the week ending February 7, as insured unemployment rose 17,000 to 1,869,000. Unadjusted claims totaled 207,694, down 42,509, compared with 223,538 earlier. Insured unemployment stood at 2,207,430, up 4,919, with the rate unchanged at 1.4%. Continued claims across all programs fell 9,081 to 2,239,250. The highest insured unemployment rates were in Rhode Island (3.0) and New Jersey (2.9), while Texas recorded the largest claims increase.