Jobless Claims (4-Week Avg.) Fall to Two-Year Low

(Reuters) - "Claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected and a moving average fell to a two-year low, pointing to some relief in the weak jobs market, a government report showed on Wednesday. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell to a seasonally adjusted 435,000 in the week to November 6 from a revised 459,000, the Labor Department said. Analysts were expecting claims to slip to 450,000 from an initially reported 457,000. The four-week moving average of claims, considered a better measure of underlying market trends, eased to 446,500, the lowest since September 2008 (see chart)."