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Empresas y finanzas

Jobless claims increase more than forecast


    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits rose by a larger than expected 15,000 last week, government data on Thursday showed, reinforcing evidence about the weak state of the labor market.

    Initial claims for state unemployment insurance benefits increased to a seasonally adjusted 478,000 in the week ended Oct 18 from a revised 463,000 the prior week, the Labor Department said.

    Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast 470,000 new claims versus a previously reported count of 461,000 the week before. The Labor Department said that the effects of Hurricane Ike in Texas added roughly 12,000 claims to the total.

    (Reporting by Alister Bull, Editing by Andrea Ricci)