First-time applications for unemployment benefits declined to 189k, beating the estimated 196k and coming down from the prior reading of 195k. Concurrently, continuing claims climbed to 1.718M, exceeding the projected 1.710M as well as the previous print of 1.695M. Across individual states, the most notable decreases were observed in TX (-1.8k), NY (-1.2k), and KY (-0.8k). In contrast, the largest upward movements occurred in OR (+0.8k), IL (+0.8k), and CA (+0.6k).