US: Weekly initial claims was 245,000, an increase of 20,000 from previous week

"In the week ending December 16, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 245,000, an increase of 20,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 225,000," the US Department of Labor reported on Thursday.

Key highlights

The 4-week moving average was 236,000, an increase of 1,250 from the previous week's unrevised average of 234,750.

Claims taking procedures continue to be disrupted in the Virgin Islands. The claims taking process in Puerto Rico has still not returned to normal.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.4 percent for the week ending December 9.

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending December 9 was 1,932,000, an increase of 43,000 from the previous
week's revised level.

The 4-week moving average was 1,923,000, an increase of 4,250 from the previous week's revised average.