Initial jobless claims rose to 269,000 last week, matching expectations.
Economists had estimated that first-time claims for unemployment insurance rose by 9,000 last week, up from 260,000 in the prior period. The Labor Department reported no special factors in this week's data.
The four-week moving average was 269,250, down 1,750 from the prior week's unrevised average. The trend is still near all-time lows.