Surge in orders boosts U.S. services sector; jobless claims tumble

By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. services sector activity held at a one-year high in December as new orders surged, while the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell to near a 43-year-low last week, suggesting the economy ended 2016 with strong momentum. The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) report on Thursday also showed a sustained increase in prices paid by services industries for inputs, potentially signalling that the days of very low inflation could be co