CoinWorld News, December 31 — Citigroup economists say that the decline in unemployment benefit claims before and after the holiday should be viewed with caution. During the week of Christmas, the number of people filing for unemployment benefits dropped from 215,000 to 199,000, while analysts predicted 220,000. Citigroup stated, "The seasonal adjustment issues for this holiday week seem to be much more severe than usual, and more reliable initial jobless claims data signals may not appear until later in January." However, data shows that layoffs remain low, and Citigroup expects December non-farm payrolls to increase by 75,000, with the data to be released next week. Citigroup also noted, "But we still expect the unemployment rate to rise to 4.7%, partly due to the labor force participation rate rising again."