U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Rebound More Than Expected

(RTTNews) - First-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits rebounded by more than expected in the week ended December 6th, according to a report released by the Labor Department on Thursday.

The report said initial jobless claims rose to 236,000, an increase of 44,000 from the previous week's revised level of 192,000.

Economists had expected jobless claims to climb to 220,000 from the 191,000 originally reported for the previous week.

The Labor Department said the less volatile four-week moving average crept up to 216,750, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's unrevised average of 214,750.