THE ECONOMY

The number of workers filing for first-time jobless claims rose 9,000 to 298,000 last week, the Labor Department said. That pushed the weekly average to 300,750 and marks the first time in 13 weeks it was higher than 300,000, a trend that could suggest fewer jobs are being created. In a separate report, the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank issued a report showing that business at Philadelphia-area factories expanded in October at a slower pace than a month earlier and that prices paid by manufacturers rose to a four-year high.