Initial claims for the week ending January 12 decreased by 3,000 to 213,000 (Briefing.com consensus 221,000) while continuing claims for the week ending January 5 increased by 18,000 to 1.737 million.

The four-week moving average for initial claims decreased by 1,000 to 220,750.

The four-week moving average for continuing claims increased by 8,000 to 1,728,500.

Initial claims have held below 300,000 for 202 consecutive weeks.

The key takeaway from the report is that the low level of initial claims continues to reflect a solid labor market.