Following the pullback seen in the previous week, first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits showed a continued decrease in the week ended December 21st, the Labor Department revealed in a report on Thursday.
The Labor Department said initial jobless claims fell to 222,000, a decrease of 13,000 from the previous week's revised level of 235,000.
Economists had expected jobless claims to drop to 224,000 from the 234,000 originally reported for the previous week.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.