211,000 new unemployment claims...below expectations

The U.S. Labor Department said 21,000 new unemployment claims were filed last week, down 9,000 from a week ago.

This is below the 225,000 expert projections compiled by Dow Jones.

The number of "continued unemployment benefits" claims filed for unemployment benefits for more than two weeks was 1.84 million weekly between December 15 and 21, down 52,000 from the previous week.

This is the lowest reading in three months since the week of Sept. 15-21.

With the U.S. Federal Reserve saying it would slow the pace of rate cuts, Wall Street is eyeing U.S. job market trends to gauge the extent and timing of further cuts.