WASHINGTON  – The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits jumped to a 1-1/2-year high last week, pointing to cracks in the labor market as demand slows, potentially giving the Federal Reserve room to halt further interest rate increases next month. With demand cooling, inflation pressures are subsiding. Producer prices rebounded modestly in April, leading to the smallest … Continue reading US weekly jobless claims hit 1-1/2-year high; inflation subsiding