In the week ending December 31, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 204,000, a decrease of 19,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised down by 2,000 from 225,000 to 223,000. The 4-week moving average was 213,750, a decrease of 6,750 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was revised down by 500 from 221,000 to 220,500.
emphasis added
The following graph shows the 4-week moving average of weekly claims since 1971.
Click on graph for larger image.
The dashed line on the graph is the current 4-week average. The four-week average of weekly unemployment claims decreased to 213,750.
The previous week was revised down.
Weekly claims were well below the consensus forecast.