By Scott Kanowsky
Investing.com -- The number of Americans filing for unemployment insurance grew by less than expected last week, according to new data from the Labor Department.
Seasonally adjusted initial jobless claims in the U.S. rose to 216,000 during the week ended on December 17, climbing from an upwardly revised level of 214,000 in the prior period. Economists had predicted that the reading would grow even further to 222,000.