In the week ending February 14, initial claims for unemployment insurance fell to 283,000, a decrease of 21,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 304,000. The four-week moving average, a less volatile gauge of underlying labor market conditions, also fell to 283,000—the lowest level since early November—from the previous week's unrevised level of 290,000. The trend in claims data continues to point to a strengthening labor market.
