Applications for U.S. state unemployment insurance rose to the highest level since November during the week that included the July 4 holiday, led by a big jump in New York.
Initial unemployment claims increased by 9,000 to 244,000 in the week ended July 9, Labor Department data showed Thursday. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 235,000 applications.
Continuing claims for state benefits fell to 1.33 million in the week ended July 2, the biggest drop since April.
