US Jobless Claims Fall to 207,000, Signaling Low Layoffs (3)

Applications for US unemployment benefits fell last week, indicating that layoffs remain largely limited.

Initial claims decreased by 11,000 to 207,000 in the week ended April 11, marking the biggest one-week drop since February, according to Labor Department data released Thursday. Claims data can be volatile around holidays, and the latest period included Easter.

The four-week moving average of new applications, a metric that helps smooth out volatility, was little changed last week.

Thursday’s figures add to other recent data that suggests the labor market is stabilizing. Separate figures released earlier this month showed job growth ...