U.S. initial jobless claims rose by 9,000 to 209,000 in the week ended Aug. 8, above economists' expectations of about 202,000 and up from the prior week's revised 200,000. Continuing claims fell by 22,000 to 1.777 million in the week ended Aug. 1, below the roughly 1.8 million forecast. The figures followed a July employment report showing nonfarm payrolls fell by 23,000 and earlier months were revised lower, suggesting the labor market is cooling mainly through slower hiring while layoffs remain historically subdued.