'Bad news is good news' for jobless claims -analyst

"It's a sort of bad news is good news situation where tamer data would allow the market to be a little bit more optimistic about the path of rate hikes that the Federal Reserve might take," said Gabriel.

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits jumped to a three-month high last week, likely as a winter wave of COVID-19 infections disrupted business activity, which could weigh on job growth in January.

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