Jobs -- Uh-Oh -- February 12, 2015; Claims Surge 25,000; Back Over 300,000

Source.

• Expected:  288K
• Actual: 304K
• Prior (revised up 1K): 279
• Change: first time claims surged 25,000. 

Can't wait to read the spin.

Here's Reuters: claims rise more than expected --

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment rose more than expected last week, but the underlying trend remained consistent with a strengthening labour market.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 25,000 to a seasonally adjusted 304,000 for the week.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims rising to 285,000 last week.

The four-week moving average of claims, considered a better measure of labour market trends as it irons out week-to-week volatility, fell 3,250 to 289,750 last week.

The four-week decrease is, of course, spurious due to an anomaly in the unemployment numbers a couple of weeks ago. The four-week average will be back up next week. 

Economists forecast claims of 285,000 but in fact -- 304,000.

But yet, Reuters says this is all consistent with a strengthening labour market.

There are rumors Brian Williams is writing for Reuters.

It is interesting that Yahoo!Finance did not even mention the jobs story -- the Reuters headline was "below the fold." Had the news been good, it would have been a headline story ABOVE the fold.