Labor Department data on Wednesday showed that US initial jobless claims increased by 17,000 to 240,000 in the week ending November 19th. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists was 225,000. Continuing claims, which include people who have already received unemployment benefits for a week or more, rose by 48,000 to 1.55 million in the week ending Nov. 12, the highest level since March. This was also the sixth consecutive weekly increase. Economists have been watching the continuing claims closely in recent weeks because they have been warning of signs of recession in the past. Although the gauge is up ... (full story)