THE ECONOMY

* The number of Americans filing first-time claims for unemployment benefits edged up to a seasonally adjusted 318,000, the most since mid-July and up from 316,000 the previous week, the Labor Department said. The previous week’s number was revised upward from 303,000. A four-week moving average of claims, which smooths weekly fluctuations, increased to a 10-week high of 306,500, up from 300,500 for the four-week period that ended a week earlier.