Jim Cramer Compares Stimulus and Capitol Hill to 'A Christmas Carol'

Jobless claims were reported on Thursday, Dec. 17.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that 885,000 Americans filed for first-time jobless benefits in the week ended Dec. 12, up from a revised 862,000 claims the week earlier and the highest since early September. Economists polled by FactSet had been expecting claims of 800,000.

Continuing claims, which are the number of people not just filing but staying on unemployment benefits, came in at 5.508 million for the week ended Dec. 5, down from an upwardly revised 5.781 million the previous week, the Labor Department said.

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