Investing.com - The number of people who filed for unemployment assistance in the U.S. rose unexpectedly last week to the highest level since April.
The number of Americans filing for initial jobless benefits in the week to January 15 rose by 10,000 to 293,000 from the previous week’s total of 283,000, compared to forecast for a fall of 5,000.
The rise in jobless claims could indicate some loss of momentum in the labor market amid a global economic slowdown and financial market volatility.
However, claims have now remained below the 300,000 mark, which is associated with strong labor market conditions, for 46 straight weeks.