Odaily Planet Daily News: Data released by the U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday showed that the number of initial unemployment claims increased by 4,000 in the week ending August 17, reaching 232,000 after seasonal adjustment, slightly exceeding the expected 230,000. Chris Larkin of Morgan Stanley E*Trade said that the latest initial unemployment claims showed that the labor market was slowing but resilient, which should help the Federal Reserve start cutting interest rates in September. (Jinshi)