Applications for U.S. unemployment insurance increased to a six-week high, driven in part by a jump in Florida claims in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.
Initial unemployment claims rose by 9,000 to 228,000 in the week ended Oct. 8, Labor Department data showed Thursday. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 225,000 new applications.
The four-week moving average, which smooths out volatility from week to week, increased to 211,500.
