According to the New York Times, jobless claims are up by the largest amount since 2002.
http://nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-Economy.html
If I recall correctly, most of the previous articles talking about jobless claims mention that they are a calculation of the number of people actively looking for work. This article doesn't mention it, but isn't one explanation of this rise that more people are now looking for work after last month's jobs number?
Either way, I admit to being completely confused by the job market and how it relates to (or is affected by) the larger economic picture. I don't think that the NYTimes article does a good job of putting this new stastic in context. Anyone care to offer some analysis of what the number means? I suppose that, at least on one level, it means more bad news for Bush...