By Scott Kanowsky
Investing.com -- The number of Americans filing for unemployment insurance unexpectedly edged lower last week, according to Labor Department data on Thursday.
Initial jobless claims dipped to a seasonally adjusted 191,000 for the week ending on March 18, a decrease from the prior unrevised level of 192,000. Economists had anticipated that the figure would climb to 197,000.
The four-week moving average, which aims to account for volatility in the weekly number, also moved down marginally to 196,250 from 196,500.