Bloomberg (04/19/12) Shobhana Chandra
The number of Americans who filed requests for jobless benefits totaled 386,000 last week, keeping claims at a four-month high, the U.S. Department of Labor reported this morning. Claims from two weeks ago were revised up to 388,000 from an initial reading of 380,000. The median forecast of 47 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News called for a drop to 370,000. The claims figures raise the possibility the payroll gains that have helped push unemployment down to a three-year low may cool.