September 17, 2020: New claims for US jobless benefits continued inching down last week, the Labor Department said Thursday, though at 860,000 the applications were higher than expected.

However the insured unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits fell 0.7 points to 8.6 percent, and the number of people claiming under a special program for those not normally eligible declined in the week ended September 12 by more than 200,000.

AFP/APP

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