US jobless claims fall to 249,000, lowest since April

Initial jobless claims fell by 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 249,000 in the week ended Oct 1, the Labor Department said Thursday. 

That was the lowest level in nearly 6-months, when claims hit an almost 43-year low. Expectations were for a 256,000 claims and down from an unrevised reading of 254,000 the week before.

Continuing jobless claims also dropped by 6,000 to 2,058,000 in the week ended Sep 24, marking the lowest level since July 2000.