US: Initial jobless claims fall to 254,000

Initial jobless claims fell 4,000 to a seasonally adjusted 254,000 in the week ended Dec. 10, the Labor Department said Thursday.

The reading came in slightly below the 256,000 new claims expected by analysts. This was the 93rd week claims stood below 300,000.

Continuing jobless claims rose 11,000 to 2.018 million in the week ended Dec. 3, still below the 2.025 million expected.