The number of Americans filing applications for unemployment benefits rose last week from a three-month low, in part reflecting the typical swings during holiday periods.
Jobless claims increased by 10,000 to 272,000 in the week ended Feb. 20, a report from the Labor Department showed on Thursday in Washington. The median forecast of 46 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for 270,000. The average over the past four weeks was the lowest so far this year.
