Americans filing for unemployment benefits were less in number last week, according to a government report out Thursday.
Figures released by the U.S. Labor Department revealed that initial claims for state unemployment benefits declined by 11,000 to a seasonally adjusted 225,000 for the week ended Dec. 9 from an unrevised 236,000 the week before. Economists had forecast claims rising to 239,000 in the latest week.
The four-week moving average, considered more reliable by analysts, was 234,750, a decrease of 6,750 from the previous week’s unrevised average of 241,500.
