Thursday Is New Jobless Day

Still very high.

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits rose unexpectedly by 10,000 last week, as the first wave of job losses from Hurricane Gustav rolled in after reporting delays in Louisiana, the Labor Department reportedThursday. Initial claims for state unemployment insurance benefits rose to a seasonally adjusted 455,000 during the week ended Sept. 13 from 445,000 the prior week. Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast claims to drop to 440,000 last week.