U.S. jobless claims hit 14-month high; analysts blame Verizon strike

Job seekers wait to talk to a recruiter at a health care job fair sponsored by the Colorado Hospital Association in Denver, U.S., May 9, 2016

USA: The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits rose last week to a more than one-year high, but economists blamed striking telecommunications workers for the surge and said the data did not signal a deterioration in the overall labor market.

Another report on Thursday showed import prices increased in April for a second straight month, suggesting the disinflationary impulse from a strong dollar and lower oil prices, which has helped to hold inflation well below the Federal Reserve's 2 percent target, was fading.