U.S. weekly jobless claims total 840,000

The number of Americans who filed for first time unemployment benefits last week was 840,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

The figure has remained below 1 million for nearly two months, though this week's number is slightly higher than the 825,000 figure that economists surveyed by Dow Jones predicted. 

The U.S. labor market continues to show signs of economic recovery amid the roughly seven-month long coronavirus pandemic. However, claims remain above the pre-pandemic high of 625,000, which indicates that the recovery is slowing.