US: Weekly initial claims was 244,000, an increase of 3,000 from previous week

"In the week ending August 5, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 244,000, an increase of 3,000 from the previous week's revised level," the US Department of Labor said on Thursday.

Key highlights:

•  The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 240,000 to 241,000
• The 4-week moving average was 241,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised average
• The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.4 percent for the week ending July 29, unchanged from the previous week's unrevised rate
• The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending July 29 was 1,951,000, a decrease of 16,000 from the previous week's revised level
• The 4-week moving average was 1,965,000, an increase of 500 from the previous week's revised average