Jobless claims in the US rise sharply by 71000 to 375000

But on Thursday, the commerce department’s weekly jobs report painted a different picture, with the number of workers who filed for unemployment benefits rising sharply, by 71,000 jobs, to 375,000, or the most since Hurricane Katrina hit in September 2005.
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The figure was well below the expectations of most economists, who were predicting a gain .
the US economy grew at an unexpectedly slow rate of 0.6 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2007

The disappointing report could tilt economists’ reading of the US labour market towards the belief that it is weakening significantly, after a series of mixed signals over the course of this week.
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[edit on 1-2-2008 by manson_322]