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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose to a nearly 22-month high of 344,000 for the week ended Nov. 4 from a revised 309,000 the previous week, the government reported Thursday.
Economists polled by Briefing.com had forecast U.S. jobless claims of 310,000 for the period.
U.S. jobless claims are at their highest since 354,000 in the Jan. 9, 1999, week.
The Labor Department's four-week moving average of claims, which generally provides a
more accurate picture of jobless trends, was 317,250 for the period, up from 309,750.B B B B B B B
Continued claims were reported at 2,224,000 for the Oct. 28 week, the latest period for which data are available, down from a revised 2,163,000 in the prior period.
Wisconsin, Oregon, Ohio, Michigan, Missouri, and Washington all reported an increase in claims of more than 1,000 in the week ended Oct. 28, the latest period for which the data are available.
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