U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Edge Slightly Lower

(RTTNews) - The Labor Department released a report on Thursday showing first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits unexpectedly edged slightly lower in the week ended December 21st.

The report said initial jobless claims slipped to 219,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 220,000. Economists had expected jobless claims to rise to 224,000.

Meanwhile, the Labor Department said the less volatile four-week moving average crept up to 226,500, an increase of 1,000 from the previous week's unrevised average of 225,500.

Continuing claims, a reading on the number of people receiving ongoing unemployment assistance, also climbed by 46,000 to 1.910 million in the week ended December 14th, reaching their highest level since November 2021.

The four-week moving average of continuing claims also rose to 1,881,000, an increase of 3,250 from the previous week's revised average of 1,877,750.