Jobless Claims Rise for Week

Initial jobless claims rose by 8,000, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Claims increased to 362,000 for the week ended Saturday, Labor said.

Economists had forecast 352,000 new claims, Bloomberg reported.

The four-week moving average, a less volatile measure, was little changed at 355,000, and has held near a four-year low over the past month.

Continuing jobless claims for the previous week ended Feb. 25 rose by 10,000 to 3.42 million.