America's jobs market just did something it hasn't done since 1969

Charles Tasnadi/AP

In this March 15, 1973, file photo President Nixon tells a White House news conference that he will not allow his legal counsel, John Dean, to testify on Capitol Hill in the Watergate investigation and challenged the Senate to test him in the Supreme Court.

Initial jobless claims fell last week to a 48-year low.

First-time filings for unemployment benefits totaled 210,000, a decrease of 10,000 from the prior week, data from the Department of Labor showed on Thursday. This was well below economists' forecast for 225,000 claims, according to Bloomberg.

The weekly jobless claims data offer the most real-time look into the labor market, since many people file for unemployment benefits not long after they lose their jobs.

This is the kind of jobs market that's likely to encourage the Federal Reserve to continue raising borrowing costs. It's expected to do so three times this year.

"We've seen continuing strength in the labor market - we've seen some data that in my case will add some confidence to my view that inflation is moving up to target," said Jerome Powell, chairman of the Federal Reserve, in testimony before the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday.