First-time filings for unemployment insurance jumped higher last week in a sign of continuing strife for the labor market.
New claims totaled 861,000, the highest level in a month and above the Dow Jones estimate of 773,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
Markets moved little on the news, with stocks poised to open lower on Wall Street.
The total for the week ended Feb. 13 only marked a slight uptick, however, from the 848,000 a week ago. That number was revised up from the initially reported 793,000.
Continuing claims declined again, edging lower to just below 4.5 million, a drop of 64,000. That data runs a week behind the headline first-time claims total.
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