US jobless claims rise but remain historically low

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits rose by 9,000 to 197,000 last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday, though layoffs remain at historically low levels. Analysts had forecast 207,000 claims. The previous week’s figure was revised up to 188,000, still the lowest in over 50 years. The data comes amid surging oil prices from the U.S.-Iran war and sluggish economic growth of 1.5% in Q2, with inflation still above the Fed's 2% target.