U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Fall To 289K

Washington (Dec 18)  First-time weekly jobless claims in the U.S. fell by 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 289,000 during the week to Saturday, the Labor Department said Thursday.

The data was below economists' expectations, which according to consensus forecasts were for claims to fall to around 294,000 claims. Last week's claims were revised down to 295,000.

Meanwhile, the four-week moving average for new claims – often viewed as a more reliable measure of the labor market since it smoothens out week-to-week volatility – was down by 750 claims to 298,750.

Continuing jobless claims, the number of people already receiving benefits and reported with a one-week delay fell b147,000 to a seasonally adjusted 2.37 million during the week ending Dec. 6.

Source:  KitcoNews