According to the Labor Department, more people filed unemployment claims last week. It marks the first increase in five weeks, as people and businesses recover from Hurricane Sandy. The states that were hit the hardest by the Hurricane experienced some turmoil. The four-week average, considered a better measure, fell by over 13,000.
See "New jobless claims up 17,000 last week, but remain relatively low", Jim Puzzanghera, Los Angeles Times, December 20, 2012