According to the US Department of Labor, the number of initial applications for unemployment benefits for the week ended November 21, increased by 30 thousand compared with the revised figure of the previous week to 778 thousand applications. Analysts had expected a decline of 12 thousand applications from the initial figure last week – to 730 thousand. The initial figure of the previous week was revised to 748 thousand from 742 thousand. The total number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits in the United States fell by 299 thousand from the revised figure of the previous week to 6.071 million.
