
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, April 22, 1994                   TAG: 9404220180
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A9   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                 LENGTH: Short

JOBLESS CLAIMS JUMP

The number of newly laid-off workers filing claims for jobless benefits unexpectedly rose by 14,000 last week. It was the third straight increase, and analysts said that suggested economic growth was moderating.

New applications for unemployment insurance totaled a seasonally adjusted 364,000, up from a revised 350,000 during the week ended April 9, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

It was the highest level of first-time claims since 375,000 were filed during the week ended Feb. 19. Many analysts had expected a drop of about 8,000 claims.

The four-week moving average of weekly jobless claims was 345,250, an increase of 6,000 and the highest level in a month.

Economists prefer to track the four-week average because it smooths out the spikes in the weekly reports and is considered a more reliable measure of hiring trends.

``This slowdown in the volatile claims data lends support to the view that the economy is slowing to a more sustainable rate of growth,'' maintained economist Bruce Steinberg of Merrill Lynch & Co. in New York.

by CNB