US Jobless Claims Fall to 214,000 During Volatile Holiday Season

Applications for US unemployment benefits fell last week, highlighting the seasonal swings in the data at this time of year.

Initial claims decreased by 10,000 to 214,000 in the week ended Dec. 20, according to Labor Department data released Wednesday. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 224,000 applications.

Continuing claims, a proxy for the number of people receiving benefits, rose to 1.92 million in the previous week, rebounding from a significant decline at the end of last month.

Applications have been volatile in recent weeks, as is typical around holidays. ...