Weekly jobless claims decrease 13,000 to 198,000
Continuing claims increase 29,000 to 1.734 million
Existing home sales fall 2.0 to 3.96 million units

WASHINGTON, Oct 19 Reuters The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell to a ninemonth low last week, indicating that strong job growth persisted in October as the labor market remains tight.

The unexpected decline in initial jobless claims reported by the Labor Department on Thursday added to solid retail sales and factory production in September in suggesting sustained momentum in the economy. The stream of upbeat economic data bolstered expectations that the Federal Reserve could keep interest rates higher for longer. Financial markets continued to discount a rate hike next month because of soaring U.S. Treasury yields.

Companies on earnings calls may warn about the outlook and risks ahead, but they are still holding on tight to their workers as good help is increasingly hard to find, said Christopher Rupkey, chief economist at FWDBONDS in New York. The economy and labor markets are simply not slowing down, and time will tell if this will reignite the inflation fires that until recently were looking contained.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 13,000 to a seasonally adjusted 198,000 for the week ended Oct. 14, the lowest level since January. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 212,000 claims for the latest week.

Though the labor market is gradually cooling,…