Initial Jobless 227K, expected at 222K

US jobless claims dipped slightly to 227,000 last week, still above the expected 222,000 and hovering near an eight week high. Continuing claims also ticked up to 1.86 million, with winter storms across the country largely blamed for the uptick as disrupted businesses pushed more people to file for benefits.

On the federal employee front (which folks are watching closely given government shutdown concerns), initial claims rose just slightly to 615—a pretty modest number in the grand scheme of things.