US initial jobless claims fall by 1,000

29th Jan 2026 12:32

(Sharecast News) - Americans lined up for unemployment benefits at a decelerated pace in the week ended 24 January, according to the Labor Department.

Initial jobless claims fell to 209,000, dropping by 1,000 from the prior week's upwardly revised reading, while continuing claims decreased by 38,000 to 1.82m.

Meanwhile, the four-week moving average, which aims to strip out week-to-week volatility, increased by 2,250 to 206,250.

Meanwhile, the advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.2% for the week ended 17 January, unchanged from the previous week's unrevised rate.

Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com