U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Fall More Than Expected

(RTTNews) - A report released by the Labor Department on Thursday showed first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits pulled back by more than expected in the week ended December 14th.

The Labor Department said initial jobless claims fell to 220,000, a decrease of 22,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 242,000. Economists had expected jobless claims to dip to 230,000.

Meanwhile, the report said the less volatile four-week moving average crept up to 225,500, an increase of 1,250 from the previous week's unrevised average of 224,250.