The US four-week moving average of initial claims for unemployment insurance last week edged up by 250 to a total of 299,250 from the previous week’s unrevised average of 299,000, according to seasonally adjusted numbers released today by the US Department of Labor.

The four-week moving average decreases the volatility of the weekly numbers. Total initial claims for unemployment insurance for the week ended Dec. 6 fell by 3,000 to a total of 294,000 from the previous week’s unrevised figure of 297,000.

No special factors impacted this week’s initial claims, according to the Department of Labor.