US: Initial weekly jobless claims decreased by 3,000 to 213,000

"In the week ending January 12, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 213,000, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 216,000," the U.S. Department of Labor announced on Thursday.

Key takeaways from the press release

• The 4-week moving average was 220,750, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's unrevised average of 221,750. 
• The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.2 percent for the week ending January 5, unchanged from the previous week's unrevised rate. 
• The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending January 5 was 1,737,000, an increase of 18,000 from the previous week's revised level.