Unemployment claims up sharply
New claims for unemployment benefits rose last week to the second-highest level in 10 years, the Dept. of Labor said today. The department added that continued claims for state unemployment benefits for the week ended Oct. 13, the most recently-collected data, rose to the highest level in more than 18 years, climbing 56,000 to 3.65 million. The department said that the number of newly laid-off workers