U.S. initial jobless claims rise in mid-December, continue to point towards robust labor markets

U.S. initial jobless claims continue to indicate towards solid labor markets. In the week ended 16 December, initial jobless claims rose to 245k from 225k, coming in higher than the consensus expectations of 233k. The four-week moving average rose to 236k, but continues to be near the lower range of the levels seen prior to the storm disruptions.

Meanwhile, continuing claims for the week ended 9 December rose to 1.93k from 1.89k. The insured jobless rate remained widely stable at 1.4 percent.

“On balance, we see the claims data as signaling no significant change in labor market conditions from a month ago, and see them as consistent with robust labor markets”, stated Barclays.

At 14:00 GMT the FxWirePro's Hourly Strength Index of US Dollar was neutral at -26.6524. For more details on FxWirePro's Currency Strength Index, visit http://www.fxwirepro.com/currencyindex

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