Mubasher: US job claims declined by 1,000 in the week ended 22 December recording 216,000 claims from 217,000 in the previous week, official data showed on Thursday.

The 4-week moving average registered 218,750, with a decrease of 4,750 compared to the week before, the US Labour Department said.

The previous week's average was revised up by 750 from 222,000 to 222,750, it added. 

Meanwhile, the advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate for the week ended 15 December stabilised at 1.2% from the previous week’s unrevised rate,official data highlighted.

The seasonally adjusted number of the insured unemployed workers during the week ended 15 December decreased by 4000,000 to 1.701 million, compared to the prior week’s unrevised figure, the Labour Department said.

The preliminary unadjusted figure of actual initial claims filed under state programmes reached 285,180  in the week ended 22 December, rising by 29,985 claims or 11.7% from the claims filed in the previous week, while initial claims reached 324,958 in the comparable week last year.

By 1:59 pm GMT, the US dollar index dipped 0.30% to 96.7580.