Reuters (01/26/12)
Jobless claims climbed by 21,000 to a seasonally adjusted 377,000 in the week ended Jan. 21, the U.S. Labor Department reports. However, the underlying trend continued to point to improving labor market conditions. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims increasing to 370,000. The four-week moving average for initial claims, seen as a better measure of labor market trends, fell 2,500 to 377,500.