US: Initial weekly jobless claims decreased by 4,000 to 231,000

"In the week ending December 1, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 231,000, a decrease of 4,000 from the previous week's revised level. " the U.S. Department of Labor announced on Thursday.

Key takeaways from the press release

• The 4-week moving average was 228,000, an increase of 4,250 from the previous week's revised average. 
• The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.1 percent for the week ending November 24, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the previous week's unrevised rate. 
• The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending November 24 was 1,631,000, a decrease of 74,000 from the previous week's revised level.