U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Dip More Than Expected

(RTTNews) - The Labor Department released a report on Wednesday showing first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits fell by more than expected in the week ended December 20th.

The report said initial jobless claims dipped to 214,000, a decrease of 10,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 224,000. Economists had expected jobless claims to edge down to 223,000.

The Labor Department said the less volatile four-week moving average also slipped to 216,750, a decrease of 750 from the previous week's unrevised average of 217,500.