Jobless Claims in U.S. Unchanged Last Week at One-Month High

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-30/jobless-claims-in-u-s-unchanged-last-week-at-one-month-high.html

More Americans than forecast filed applications for unemployment benefits last week, a sign that progress in the labor market is faltering amid a slowing economy.

Jobless claims were little changed at 374,000 in the week ended Aug. 25, matching the upwardly revised figure from the prior week, the Labor Department reported today in Washington. The median forecast of 50 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News called for 370,000. The four-week moving average, a less volatile measure, climbed to a six-week high.

Companies will probably remain concerned about the possibility that taxes will rise and government spending will be cut unless lawmakers act by January. Fiscal turmoil in the 17- member euro area and a slowdown in China may also prompt employers to keeping payrolls lean.