US Jobless Claims Hit Eight-Month High as Labor Market Cools

Applications for US state unemployment insurance rose for a third week to the highest since November as more companies announce job cuts, suggesting some softening in the labor market.

Initial unemployment claims increased by 7,000 to 251,000 in the week ended July 16, Labor Department data showed Thursday. The figures coincide with the reference period for the July jobs report that’s due early next month. The median estimate called for 240,000 applications in a Bloomberg survey of economists.

Continuing claims for state benefits rose 51,000 to 1.38 million in the week ended July 9, the biggest weekly increase since ...