The U.S. four-week moving average of initial claims for unemployment insurance fell by 1,250 in the week ended July 20 to a level of 345,250 from the previous week’s revised average of 346,500, according to seasonally adjusted numbers released today by the U.S. Department of Labor.

The four-week moving average decreases the volatility of the weekly numbers. Total initial claims for unemployment insurance for the week rose by 7,000 to a total of 343,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 336,000.