The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits jumped to the highest level in two months, although the figures were skewed in part by Hurricane Isaac.
Applications increased by 15,000 to a seasonally adjusted 382,000, the Labor Department said. That’s up from 367,000 the previous week. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, increased for the fourth straight week to 375,000. Isaac made landfall on Aug. 28 in southeastern Louisiana. It disrupted work in nine states and boosted applications by roughly 9,000, Labor officials said.
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