Initial jobless claims fell by 15,000 to a seasonally adjusted 372,000 for the week ending Dec. 31, the U.S. Labor Department said Thursday.
The previous week's revised figure was 387,000, the department said in a release.
At 373,250, the four-week moving average held under 400,000 for the eighth consecutive week.
The U.S. unemployment rate was 8.6 percent in November, the lowest in 2 1/2 years.
The advance number of actual unadjusted first-time joblessness claims under state programs was 535,112 in the week ending Dec. 31, an increase of 37,423 from the previous week, Labor Department officials said.
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