Jobless claims climb
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October 21, 1999: 8:50 a.m. ET
Number of first-time unemployed just shy of critical 300,000 figure
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - The number of Americans filing first-time claims for state unemployment benefits rose to a greater-than-expected 298,000 for the week ended Oct. 16, a government report indicated Thursday.
The figure exceeded economists' forecasts of 289,000 and were up from a revised 289,000 the week before, the Labor Department said.
The four-week moving average, which generally provides a more accurate picture of jobless trends, rose to 300,750 from a revised 294,750 the prior week. That figure is the highest since 306,500 in the July 17 week this year.
New claims have been hovering near the 300,000 mark since mid-January, a level consistent with a tight job market.
Continued claims were 2,218,000 for the week ended Oct. 9, the latest data available, up from a revised 2,174,000 a week earlier.
After the data were released, the benchmark 30-year Treasury was up 9/32 for a yield of 6.33 percent, up from 6.31 percent Wednesday.
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