By Geoffrey Smith
Investing.com -- The labor market in the U.S. continued to show strength last week, with initial claims for jobless benefits falling slightly to 250,000.
The decline defied expectations of a rise to a level that would have been the highest since January, and is further evidence that people are still finding new jobs without too much trouble even if they are caught up in a slowdown that appears to be affecting more and more sectors of the economy.
The Labor Department also revised down last week's figure for initial claims by 10,000 to 252,000.
The slow upward trend in initial claims has now been effectively on hold for a month, having peaked at 261,000 in mid-July.