Last week, 326 US workers filed for unemployment benefits for the first time, 2 fewer than the previous figure. Analysts, on the contrary, had predicted growth to 331. Some volatility around the end of the year, however, may have partially distorted the numbers.
The four-week average, more reliable as it is not subject to market fluctuations, dropped by 13.500 units to 335. The figure remains below 400 units, a threshold which according to analysts signals a stalemate.
The total number of workers receiving unemployment benefits for more than a week in the week ending January 4, the last for which data is available - rose by 174 to 3.030.000.
Data on consumer prices also comes from the United States, which rose slightly last month. According to reports from the US Department of Labor, the index rose by 0,3%, in line with analysts' forecasts.
The "core" figure, i.e. the figure excluding the food and energy prices component, grew by 0,1%, again in line with forecasts.
In 2013 as a whole, the general figure increased by 1,5% and the "core" component by 1,7%, slightly compared to historical standards and below the 2% considered optimal by the Federal Reserve. Since July 2011, the annual "core" figure has fluctuated between 1,6 and 2,3%. The movement in the general data was affected by the rise in energy prices, with fuels jumping by 3,1%.
