Jeffry Bartash writes from Washington for MarketWatch August 23:

Applications for U.S. jobless benefits rose slightly last week, the government reported Thursday, but the latest figures suggest little change in the nation’s underperforming labor market.

Initial claims increased by 4,000 to a seasonally adjusted 372,000 in the week ended Aug. 18, the Labor Department said. That’s the highest level in five weeks.

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