US: Initial weekly jobless claims increased by 8,000 to 214,000

"In the week ending December 15, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 214,000, an increase of 8,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 206,000," the U.S. Department of Labor announced on Thursday.

Key takeaways from the press release

• The 4-week moving average was 222,000, a decrease of 2,750 from the previous week's unrevised average of 224,750. 
• The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.2 percent for the week ending December 8.
• The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending December 8 was 1,688,000, an increase of 27,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 1,661,000.