US jobless claims rise to 234,000

Initial jobless claims rose slightly to 234,000 in the week ending Aug. 19 from 232,000 in the previous week. The reading was lower than expectations, which indicated a rise to 238K applications, and today's reading is the second lowest week since May.
The four-week average fell to 237.8K from 240.5K last week, as well as the lowest level since May.
Continuing jobless Claims for the week ended August 12th were unchanged at 1.95m and remained below 2m levels for the fourth month. Also, the average four weeks remained unchanged at 1.94 million.
The data continue to point to a continued improvement in the labor market, with jobless claims not exceeding 250,000 in four months.