Following an unexpected fall to the lowest level in two months in the previous week, number of claims for U.S. unemployment benefits rose in the week ended December 15, according to the Labor Department on Thursday. Initial jobless claims increased 17,000 to 361,000, while economists expected 360,000 claims.
"This number gets us back into the range we've been in really since the spring," said Omair Sharif, a U.S. economist at RBS Securities Inc. "We're not waiting to see much more improvement on the layoff side. We're just waiting for the hiring side to get going."