Bloomberg (08/02/12) Shobhana Chandra
The number of people who filed applications for unemployment benefits rose by 8,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 365,000, the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The median forecast of 47 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News called for an increase to 370,000. Starting next week, the data should be clear of any influence from the annual auto plant retooling closures that make it difficult to adjust the data for seasonal variations, a Labor Department spokesman said. The four-week claims average dropped 2,750 to 365,500, the lowest level since late March.