U.S. JOBLESS CLAIMS UP; VIRGINIA'S ARE DOWN

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, March 5, 1993                   TAG: 9303050191
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short
U.S. JOBLESS CLAIMS UP; VIRGINIA'S ARE DOWN
The number of Americans filing first-time claims for unemployment benefits jumped 26,000 in the week ended Feb. 20, the largest increase in seven weeks, the government reported Thursday.
It was the second straight weekly increase, following three weeks of declines, and was greater than many private economists had anticipated.
The Labor Department said new applications for jobless benefits totaled 351,000, up from 325,000 a week earlier.
The four-week moving average of new claims dipped slightly, to 334,250, the lowest since the average reached 327,250 during the week ended Sept. 30, 1989. Many analysts prefer to track the four-week average, because it smooths out the volatility of the weekly numbers and more accurately reflects the labor market.
The largest declines in first-time claims were in Michigan, 4,419; New York, 4,182; Virginia, 1,779; Washington, 1,671; and Puerto Rico, 1,346. - Associated Press

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB