Initial Claims Rise by 19,000 for Week

Initial jobless claims increased by 19,000 for the week ended Saturday, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Initial claims rose to 373,000, from a revised 354,000 last week, the department said in its weekly report.

The less-volatile four-week moving average fell to 360,500 from 361.750, Labor said.
 
Economists had expected an increase of 1,000 from last week’s initially reported level of 349,000, Bloomberg News reported.