In the week ending January 10, initial claims for unemployment insurance jumped to 316,000 from the previous week's upwardly revised level of 297,000 (from 294,000). This is the highest level of initial unemployment claims in four months. However, the four-week moving average, a less volatile gauge of underlying labor market conditions, was 298,000 and has remained below 300,000 for 18 straight weeks, a sign of a strengthening labor market.
