"U.S. Jobless Claims Tick Up to 207,000 in Weekly Report"

Weekly jobless claims in the U.S. increased slightly to 207,000, up by 2,000 from the previous period, but still below expectations. Continuing claims remained little changed at 1.664 million. The four-week moving average of claims fell to 208,750. The report comes as the Federal Reserve considers the future of monetary policy, with concerns about tightness in the labor market and potential inflationary pressures. The data precedes the critical nonfarm payrolls report expected to show a decrease in job growth for September.