Last week's jobless claims decline to 900,000

Initial U.S. jobless claims last week declined to 900,000, about 26,000 less than the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. 

The number was also less than the Dow Jones estimate of 925,000.

Economists largely agree that the rise in claims is the result of the increase in coronavirus cases that began in the fall and continued through the Christmas holiday season, which resulted in officials limiting travel and indoor dining to help stop Americans from spreading the virus.