Bloomberg (11/27/13) Lorraine Woellert; Michelle Jamrisko

Fewer Americans than projected filed applications for unemployment benefits last week, a sign that the labor market is showing resilience. The number of new applications for unemployment benefits fell by 10,000 to 316,000 in the week ended Nov. 23, the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.

The median forecast of 44 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for an increase to 330,000. The data are difficult to adjust for seasonal variations around holidays. The four-week moving average fell to 331,750 from 339,250.