Applications for U.S. unemployment insurance rose for a second week and held near the highest level since November, indicating continued moderation in the labor market.
Initial unemployment claims increased by 14,000 to 262,000 in the week ended Aug. 6, Labor Department data showed Thursday. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 265,000 applications.
Continuing claims for state benefits ticked up to 1.43 million in the week ended July 30, the most since early April.
