US: Initial weekly jobless claims decreased by 1,000 to 216,000

"In the week ending December 22, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 216,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised level," the U.S. Department of Labor announced on Thursday.

Key takeaways from the press release

• The 4-week moving average was 218,000, a decrease of 4,750 from the previous week's revised average. 
• The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.2 percent for the week ending December 15, unchanged from the previous week's unrevised rate. 
•  The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending December 15 was 1,701,000, a decrease of 4,000 from the previous week's revised level.