A research group has said leading US economic indicators rose for the 10th consecutive month in January, pointing to a strengthening recovery in the next six months.
But separate figures showed a surprise rise in new claims for jobless insurance benefits last week, as the labour market remained a worry.
The Conference Board said its forward-looking leading economic index (LEI) advanced 0.3% in January, weaker than the 0.5% rise expected by most analysts. The index rose 1.2% in December.
'This signals continued economic recovery at least through the spring,' said Conference Board economist Ken Goldstein.
But US government figures show that new claims for jobless insurance benefits in the US rose unexpectedly last week. The Labor Department figures come amid concerns that unemployment could dampen economic recovery.
The seasonally adjusted initial claims in the week ending February 13 rose to 473,000, an increase of 31,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 442,000.
Claims had tumbled to their lowest level since mid-2008 during the week ended January 2, but they have been volatile since the beginning of the year, casting doubts about a labour market recovery.
The Labor Department said that the four-week moving average for the jobless insurance claims, a less volatile indicator than the week-to-week figures, was 467,500, a decrease of 1,500 from the previous week's revised average of 469,000.
The latest data also showed that the total number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits remained at the lowest level in more than a year. The number of seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending February 6 was 4.56 million, unchanged from the preceding week's revised level.
Energy surge lifts US wholesale prices
US January wholesale prices surged nearly double the increase expected as energy prices soared, official data showed today.
The producer price index (PPI) for finished goods advanced a seasonally adjusted 1.4%, following a 0.4% rise in December, the Labor Department said. Most analysts had expected a 0.8% increase in the PPI.
The 'core' PPI, excluding foods and energy, was up 0.3%, higher than the 0.1% anticipated.
Energy goods prices drove the headline inflation figure, jumping 5.1% in the first month of the year after a 0.7% gain in December.
