Jobless claims up, but consumer confidence also increases
Washington, D.C. -- Figures released Thursday by the Labor Department showed that more Americans than forecast filed applications for jobless benefits last week, reinforcing concern that the labor-market recovery will be slow to develop.
Consumer confidence, however, has held up, as the Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index was minus 32.8 in the period ended April 8, second only to the prior week’s minus 31.4 as the highest since March 2008.
Households were the most optimistic about their finances since April 2008, according to Bloomberg.