Unemployment claims jump higher

The number of Americans filing for initial unemployment insurance rose more than expected last week, the government said Thursday.

There were 444,000 initial job claims filed in the week ended Jan. 9, up 11,000 from a revised 433,000 the previous week, the Labor Department said in its weekly report.

A consensus estimate of economists surveyed by Briefing.com expected new claims to rise to 437,000.

The 4-week moving average of initial claims was 440,750, down 9,000 from the previous week's revised average of 449,750. (more)