ECONOMY

Jobless Claims Rise: The number of newly laid-off Americans filing for benefits shot up by 20,000 last week to the highest level in a month. The Labor Department reported that new unemployment insurance applications totaled a seasonally adjusted 338,000, the most since 339,000 claims were filed during the week ended Jan. 14. Claims had dropped by 8,000 two weeks earlier, to 318,000. But the closely watched four-week moving average of weekly jobless claims fell for the fourth straight week, dipping by 250 to 326,750 from the prior week’s average of 327,000. California reported one of the largest increases, at 3,029.