24.12.2014 14:40:53

U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Show Unexpected Decrease

(RTTNews) - First-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits unexpectedly decreased in the week ended December 20th, according to a report released by the Labor Department on Wednesday.

The report said initial jobless claims fell to 280,000, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 289,000.

The modest decrease came as a surprise to economists, who had expected jobless claims to inch up to 290,000.