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To: FJB who wrote (483532)	4/19/2012 8:42:34 AM
From: TideGlider	1 Recommendation Respond to of 793916

DATA SNAP: 4-Week Average Of US Jobless Claims Highest Since Jan Last update: 4/19/2012 8:30:00 AM By Josh Mitchell and Eric Morath Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--A closely watched measure of Americans filing for unemployment benefits rose to its highest level in nearly three months, a sign of lost momentum in the labor market. The four-week moving average of initial jobless claims rose by 5,500 to a seasonally adjusted 374,750, the highest level since Jan. 28, the Labor Department said Thursday. The moving average smoothes out weekly volatility. Initial claims filed in the week ended April 14 fell by 2,000 to 386,000. Even though the decline indicates a slight improvement, the prior week's level was revised sharply higher to 388,000 from a previously reported 380,000. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires predicted that 375,000 new claims would be filed last week. The level of weekly claims--a measure of the pace of employer layoffs--is still far below levels seen a year ago when they typically exceeded 400,000. But the decline in jobless claims has moderated in recent weeks. Also, job creation slowed in March, when U.S. employers added 120,000 nonfarm jobs, half of what they added the previous month. With the labor market appearing to lose steam, speculation is rising about the Federal Reserve's next moves. Fed officials could be more likely to stick with their easy-money policies and resist raising interest rates if growth slows. Fed officials, who will hold their next policy meeting next week, have said the federal funds rate is likely to remain near zero at least through late 2014. Stronger growth earlier this year prompted some economists to call for raising rates sooner. Thursday's report showed the number of continuing unemployment benefit claims--those drawn by workers for more than a week--rose by 26,000 to 3,297,000 in the week ended April 7. Continuing claims are reported with a one-week lag. The number of workers requesting unemployment insurance was equivalent to 2.6% of employed workers paying into the system in the week ended April 7--the same as the prior week. The Labor Department report on jobless claims can be accessed at: dol.gov. --By Josh Mitchell and Eric Morath; Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-6637; joshua.mitchell@dowjones.com. (END) Dow Jones Newswires April 19, 2012 08:30 ET (12:30 GMT)