US Jobless Claims Top All Estimates in Extremely Cold Week (1)

Applications for US unemployment benefits rose by more than forecast last week, when severe winter weather gripped much of the country.

Initial claims increased by 22,000 to 231,000 in the final week of January, according to Labor Department data released Thursday. Claims exceeded all estimates in a Bloomberg survey of economists.

Continuing claims, a proxy for the number of people receiving benefits, increased to 1.84 million in the previous week.

Business disruptions tied to severe winter weather may have prompted more Americans to seek unemployment assistance. Initial claims figures have generally showed that companies are ...