U.S. Initial Jobless Claims Fell to 189,000 Last Week

U.S. jobless claims continued their downslide last week, once again flouting expectations for an uptick.

The number of people who filed for unemployment benefits was 189,000 in the week through Oct. 31, 6,000 lower than the upwardly revised 195,000 reported a week earlier, the Labor Department said Thursday. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal were expecting to see 197,000 new claims.