By Scott Kanowsky
Investing.com -- The number of Americans filing for unemployment insurance unexpectedly fell last week, according to new Labor Department data on Thursday.
Seasonally-adjusted initial jobless claims fell to 204,000 in the week ending December 31, decreasing from a downwardly revised figure of 223,000. Economists had predicted that the reading would inch up to 225,000.
The four-week moving average, which aims to account for volatility in weekly readings, dropped by 6,750 to 213,750.
Meanwhile, continuing claims - a gauge of the amount of U.S. residents filing for ongoing unemployment benefits - declined to 1,694,000 from 1,718,000 last week. Forecasts had anticipated the number would slip to 1,708,000.
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