by Calculated Risk on 12/13/2018 08:34:00 AM

The DOL reported:

In the week ending December 8, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 206,000, a decrease of 27,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 231,000 to 233,000. The 4-week moving average was 224,750, a decrease of 3,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 228,000 to 228,500.
emphasis added

The previous week was revised up.

The following graph shows the 4-week moving average of weekly claims since 1971.

Click on graph for larger image.


The dashed line on the graph is the current 4-week average. The four-week average of weekly unemployment claims decreased to 224,750.

This was much lower than the consensus forecast. The low level of claims suggest few layoffs.