New US unemployment claims jumped unexpectedly last week, a report claimed today.
In the latest sign the US labour market is softening, first-time jobless claims rose 9,000 to 421,000 in the week ended April 28th from a revised 412,000 the prior week.
The closely watched four-week moving average to April 28th week rose for the fifth straight week, economists said.
Tomorrow's payrolls report should garner close attention from Federal Reserve policymakers as they weigh their next move on interest rates.
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Analysts expect the Fed to cut further when they next meet on May 15th, with some seeing as much as a half-point cut following an expected weak April jobs report.