By Scott Kanowsky
Investing.com -- Jobless claims in the U.S. edged higher last week, in a sign of a potential loosening in the country's tight labor market.
Initial unemployment claims jumped to 262,000 from a downwardly revised 248,000 in the previous week, inching closer to its highest level since November. That figure was below economists' expectations of 263,000.
The rolling four-week average for initial claims, which smooths out volatility in the weekly figures, also moved up to 252,000. Meanwhile, continuing claims increased by more than estimated to 1.428M, suggesting that some workers may be having a harder time finding new work after losing their old job.