More Americans hit unemployment lines last week than markets expected, with a government report showing first-time jobless claims filings rising to their highest level since August, which comes amid broader economic uncertainty.
First-time filings for unemployment insurance jumped to 240,000 for the week ended on Nov. 19, the Department of Labor said in a report (pdf).
Market analysts expected to see 225,000 claims filed, with the sizeable uptick coming as an upside surprise and a possible sign of some labor market softening.
“Jobless claims showing some signs of weakness in latest data,” Liz Young, Head of Investment Strategy at SoFi, said in a statement on Twitter. “Watching closely.”…