The number of Americans filing for initial jobless claims in the week ending January 3 was 208,000, compared to an expected 210,000.

U.S. initial jobless claims for the week ending January 3 were 208,000, below the expected 210,000 and the previous week's figure revised from 199,000 to 200,000. The four-week moving average of initial jobless claims for the week ending January 3 was 211,750, with the previous week's figure revised from 218,750 to 219,000. Continuing jobless claims for the week ending December 27 were 1,914,000, below the expected 1,900,000 and the previous week's figure revised from 1,866,000 to 1,858,000. (Jinshi)