INSTANT VIEW: Producer prices fall, jobless claims rise

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Producer prices fell for a fifth straight month in December, partly on a record drop in gasoline prices, government data showed on Thursday, indicating that inflation pressures were likely to stay muted for a while.

The number of workers filing new claims for unemployment benefits rebounded last week after a brief holiday-induced slowdown, government data showed on Thursday, suggesting that the year-long recession was deepening.

COMMENTS:

JANE CARON, CHIEF ECONOMIC STRATEGIST, DWIGHT ASSET MANAGEMENT, BURLINGTON, VERMONT:

"All the data released this morning were uniformly bearish for Treasuries and bullish for riskier asset classes. They were bad, but not as bad as expected."

DAVE LUTZ, MANAGING DIRECTOR, STIFEL NICOLAUS, BALTIMORE:

"It's (claims) pretty benign, especially since we're past the Christmas holiday. A lot of people were reluctant to lay people off during the holiday season.

"The revision wasn't too bad, only increased by 3,000 jobs, obviously it's a big number but it wasn't significant. Also, the continuing claims number came out significantly lower than expected.

"For the most part the economic data that came out today is pretty benign and it's going to be a non-event behind some other macro stories as far as Bank of America approaching the government again, as far as Steve Jobs and what's going on at Apple."