Reuters/Jason Reed
Mervin Sealy from Hickory, North Carolina, takes part in a protest rally outside the Capitol Building in Washington, October 5, 2011. Demonstrators were demanding that Congress create jobs, not make budget cuts during the protest.
Economists forecast that claims fell slightly to 265,000.
In the previous week, claims rose more than expected to 266,000.
As of last Thursday, weekly claims have not risen above 300,000 for the last 73 weeks - the longest streak in 43 years.
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