Golden Finance reported that the number of people applying for unemployment benefits for the first time in the United States fell last week, indicating that the U.S. economy still avoided a large-scale wave of layoffs in the final stage of 2024. The U.S. Labor Department said Thursday that 219,000 people filed for new jobless benefits in the week ended Dec. 21, compared with 220,000 the previous week and market expectations of 225,000. The U.S. unemployment rate currently stands at 4.2%, which is still quite modest by the standards of the past decade. But the unemployment rate rose slightly during 2024, a sign of a softening labor market that is also reflected in fewer job openings per job seeker, a decline in the number of new jobs created and more industries cutting back on hiring. come out. According to CME's "Fed Watch", the probability of keeping interest rates unchanged in January next year is still 91.4%, and the probability of cutting interest rates by 25 basis points is 8.6%.