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The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week, suggesting the labour market continued to strengthen.
Other data on Thursday showed factory activity in the mid-Atlantic region braked sharply in December, but that followed hefty gains in the prior month and analysts said manufacturing remained on solid ground.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped by 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 289,000 for the week ended December 13, the Labor Department said. Wall Street had expected claims to rise to 295,000.
The four-week moving average of claims, considered a better measure of labour market trends as it irons out week-to-week volatility, slipped by 750 to 298,750.
In a second report, the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank said its business activity index fell to 24.5 this month from a reading of 40.8 in November. Any reading above zero indicates expansion in the region's manufacturing sector.
In another report, financial data firm Markit said its "flash" services Purchasing Managers Index fell to 53.6 in December, the lowest reading since February, from 56.2 in November. A reading above 50 signals expansion in the services sector.
