US Jobless Claims Fall to 199,000 During Christmas Week (2)

Applications for US unemployment benefits fell last week to one of the lowest levels this year, accentuating volatility in the data during the holiday season.

Initial claims decreased by 16,000 to 199,000 in the week ended Dec. 27, according to Labor Department data released Wednesday. That was lower than all estimates in a Bloomberg survey of economists and one of just a handful of readings below 200,000 since early 2024.

The figures have been volatile recently, as is typical at this time of year. The latest period included Christmas, as well as the newly declared federal holidays of Dec. ...