In the week ended March 22, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims was 366,000, a decrease of 9,000, or 2%, from the previous week's revised figure of 375,000. The four-week moving average was 358,000, an increase of 1,750 from the previous week's revised average of 356,250.

Separately today, the U.S. Department of Commerce said real gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 0.6% in the fourth quarter according to final estimates, unchanged from earlier, preliminary estimates. Real GDP had increased by 4.9% in the third quarter.