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Jobless claims fall again
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September 7, 2000: 8:44 a.m. ET
But four-week average of claims is at highest level since January 1999
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - The number of Americans filing for new claims for unemployment benefits fell for the second straight week, to 316,000 last week from a revised 319,000 the prior week, the government reported Thursday.
Economists polled by Briefing.com had forecast U.S. jobless claims of 310,000 for the period.
 However, the four-week moving average of claims, which generally provides a more accurate picture of jobless trends, rose once again, to 317,500 in the week ended Sept. 2 from a revised 313,250 the prior week, the Labor Department said. The four-week average is at its highest mark since the week of January 23, 1999
Continued claims rose to 2,204,000 for the Aug. 26 week, the latest data available, from a revised 2,164,000 in the prior period.
Only Ohio reported an increase of more than 1,000 new claims. The state said it had more layoffs in a variety of industries.
North Carolina, Massachusetts and Georgia each reported decreases of at least 1,000. North Carolina said it had fewer layoffs in the transportation equipment industry. Massachusetts reported a decrease due to the resolution of the Verizon Communications (VZ: Research, Estimates) strike while Georgia had fewer layoffs in the textile industry. 
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