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Initial jobless claims rose by 8,000 last week, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Claims increased to 365,000 for the week ended Saturday, fewer than the 370,000 predicted by economists, Bloomberg reported.

The four-week moving average, a less-volatile measure, slipped to 365,000, the lowest since March, from 368,250.

Continuing jobless claims for the previous week ended July 21 dropped by 19,000, to 3.27 million, a two-month low, Bloomberg reported.