Weekly Jobless Claims Fall Less Than Expected

WASHINGTON -- The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits dropped from a six-month high last week, but remained elevated as California continued to deal with a backlog related to computer problems.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell 15,000 to a seasonally adjusted 358,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters had expected first-time applications to rise to 335,000 last week.