According to Odaily Planet Daily, the number of first-time unemployment claims in the United States fell last week, indicating that the US economy has still avoided a large-scale layoff wave in the final stage of 2024. The U.S. Department of Labor said on Thursday that 219,000 people applied for new unemployment benefits in the week ending December 21, compared with 220,000 in the previous week and market expectations of 225,000. The U.S. unemployment rate is currently 4.2%, which is still quite mild by the standards of the past decade. But during 2024, the unemployment rate rose slightly, a sign of a softening labor market, which can also be reflected in the reduction of job vacancies per job seeker, the decline in the number of new jobs, and more industries cutting recruitment. 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 a 25 basis point rate cut is 8.6%.