Jobless Claims Rise In U.S.

By Agence France-Presse The number of new claimants for U.S. unemployment benefits edged higher last week, posting the third consecutive increase, government data showed July 1. The number of new claimants climbed 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 351,000 in the week ended June 26 following a jump of 14,000 the previous week, the Labor Department said. The result disappointed private economists who had forecast a moderate fall in claims. A four-week average of new claims, which smoothes out weekly blips, rose 2,500 to 347,000. Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2004