The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits increased for a second straight week, a sign the economic rebound is increasingly at risk with Congress poised to potentially let supplemental $600 payments expire.
Initial claims through regular state programs rose to 1.43 million in the week ended July 25, up 12,000 from the prior week, a Labour Department report showed on Thursday. There were 17 million Americans filing for ongoing benefits through those programs in the period ended July 18, up 867,000 from the prior week -- the largest increase since early May.