Initial Jobless Claims Rise for Week

Initial jobless claims rose by 2,000 last week, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Applications for jobless benefits for the week ended Saturday rose to 336,000, Labor said.

The initial claims figure was lower than economists’ forecast of 340,000, Bloomberg News reported.

The four-week moving average, a less volatile measure, fell to 339,000 last week, a five-year low, from 347,250.

Continuing jobless claims for the previous week ended Feb. 16 fell by 91,000 to 3.07 million.