While the data was once again impacted by technical issues, the Labor Department released a report on Thursday showing that first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits rose by much more than expected in the week ended October 5th. The report said initial jobless claims jumped to 374,000, an increase of 66,000 from the previous week's unrevised figure of 308,000. Economists had been expecting jobless claims to edge up to 310,000. The Labor Department said half of the increase in claims was due to a California computer switch. The ongoing government shutdown also contributed to the jump in claims.