by Calculated Risk on 12/26/2019 09:02:00 AM

The DOL reported:

In the week ending December 21, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 222,000, a decrease of 13,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 234,000 to 235,000. The 4-week moving average was 228,000, an increase of 2,250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 225,500 to 225,750.
emphasis added

The previous week was revised up.

The following graph shows the 4-week moving average of weekly claims since 1971.

Click on graph for larger image.

The dashed line on the graph is the current 4-week average. The four-week average of weekly unemployment claims increased to 228,000.

This was close to the consensus forecast.