August 04, 2006	Friday	Rajab 8, 1427

WASHINGTON, Aug 3: The number of Americans filing first-time claims for unemployment benefits rose by a higher-than-expected 14,000 to 315,000 in the latest week, the Labour Department said on Thursday.

Most Wall Street economists had expected claims to rise only to 308,000 for the week ended July 29.

The government also revised up its claims estimate for the prior week to 301,000 compared with an initial estimate of 298,000.

Most economists, however, are awaiting the release on Friday of a much more comprehensive monthly survey of the job market that will reveal the pace of hiring in the non-farm sector for July.—AFP