Initial claims fall 14k to 442k; with downward revisions to past few weeks allowing 4wk avg of initial claims to move to 453.8k; the lowest since 9/08.

This is the part that Bernanke omitted in today’s testimony that was included in his Feb 10 testimony.

“I currently do not anticipate that the Federal Reserve will sell any of its security holdings in the near term, at least until after policy tightening has gotten under way and the economy is clearly in a sustainable recovery. ”

Now just has sequencing more open-ended:

“In any case, the sequencing of steps and the combination of tools that the Federal Reserve uses as it exits from its currently very accommodative policy stance will depend on economic and financial developments and on our best judgments about how to meet the Federal Reserve’s dual mandate of maximum employment and price stability.”