The number of initial jobless claims—a measure of Americans who applied for unemployment benefits—fell for the fifth straight week in early January, pointing to ongoing labor market strength.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell by 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 204,000 for the week ended Jan. 11, the Labor Department said on Thursday (pdf). Economists polled by Reuters expected claims would rise to 216,000 in the latest week, while those surveyed by MarketWatch forecast an even higher print of 220,000.
