(Image Source: Los Angeles Times )

 

BY MEREDITH BALDWIN

ANCHOR JIM FLINK

 

380,000. That’s how many people filed for unemployment benefits the first week of April. It’s the highest number of new claims filed for a one week period since January. Here’s Bloomberg :

 

“This is a much higher claim than expected. Again, the economists expected for claims to come in at 355,000. Not adding any optimism to the job market.”

 

The 380,000 jobless figure is an increase of 13,000 people from the previous week. Forex Alliance explains...

 

“The figures buck the latest trend of declining jobless claims numbers and spark some concern that this may be the end of the report’s recently positive run.”

 

Fox News says the latest report should serve as a warning.

 

“Last week we heard that job creation rates had been cut in half. Disposable income - that’s cash in your pocket is going down. And the economy is basically slowing its rate of growth.”

 

Still — one contributor for Business Insider says —  it’s important to look at those numbers in context.

 

“Remember folks, it is just one week's worth of data. The numbers are erratic and are subject to revision (almost always upward).”