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WASHINGTON — Weekly jobless claims surged to the highest level in seven years, durable- goods orders took a bigger- than-expected tumble and new-home sales plunged to the slowest pace in 17 years, according to government data released Thursday.
The Labor Department reported that jobless claims jumped by 32,000 to a seasonally adjusted 493,000 last week, the highest level since shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The Commerce Department said new orders to factories for big-ticket manufactured goods fell by 4.5 percent last month, led by a big drop in demand for airplanes.
New-home sales plunged by 11.5 percent in August, a bigger decline than the 1 percent dip that had been expected.
