The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week, suggesting the labour market stateside continued to strengthen.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped by 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 289,000 for the week ended Dec. 13, the U.S. Labor Department said on Thursday.
The report came a day after the Federal Reserve offered an upbeat assessment of the labour market and the broader economy, and signaled it could start raising interest rates next year.
Economists had forecast claims edging up to 295,000 last week. The prior week's data was revised to show 1,000 more applications received than previously reported.
The four-week moving average of claims, considered a better measure of labour market trends as it irons out week-to-week volatility, slipped by 750 to 298,750.
