US initial jobless claims 224K versus 225K estimate.

• Prior week 236K revised to 237K
• The 4-week moving average was 217,500, an increase of 500 from the previous week’s revised average. The
  previous week’s average was revised up by 250 from 216,750 to 217,000
• Continuing claims 1.897M vs 1.930M set
• Prior week revised to 1.830M from 1.838M
• The 4-week moving
  average was 1,902,000, a decrease of 14,000 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was
  revised down by 2,000 from 1,918,000 to 1,916,000.

Initial jobless claims track the weekly number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits for the first time and are one of the most timely indicators of U.S. labor-market health and overall economic momentum. Rising claims can signal increasing job losses and a slowing economy, while declining claims suggest that hiring is outpacing layoffs, pointing to underlying economic strength. Released every Thursday by the U.S. Department of Labor, the report is closely watched by economists and markets alike, with particular emphasis on the four-week moving average, which helps smooth out weekly volatility and provides a clearer view of underlying labor-market trends.

The initial claims fell sharply a few weeks ago, but has rebounded back to the trend. The decline seemed to be influenced by faulty seasonals as a result of the Thanksgiving Day holiday.

This article was written by Greg Michalowski at investinglive.com.