First-time
claims for U.S. unemployment benefits rebounded by more than anticipated in the
week ended January 26th, according to a report released by the Labor Department
on Thursday, with jobless claims bouncing off a five-year low.
The report
showed that initial jobless claims rose to 368,000, an increase of 38,000 from
the previous week's unrevised figure of 330,000. Economists had been expecting
jobless claims to climb to 355,000.