U.S. weekly jobless claims unchanged; consumer spending rises in November
The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits held below pre-pandemic levels last week, while consumer spending increased solidly, putting the economy on track for a strong finish to 2021. But price pressures continued to build up, with a measure of underlying inflation recording its largest annual increase since 1989 in November. The reports on Thursday came as the nation was struggling with a resurgence in COVID-19 infections, driven by the Delta and highly transmissible Omicron variant, which could crimp economic growth in the first quarter.