NEW JOBLESS CLAIMS RISE MORE THAN EXPECTED The number of newly laid-off workers requesting unemployment benefits rose more than expected last week as jobs remain scarce amid a sluggish economic recovery. The Labor Department said Thursday new claims for unemployment insurance rose by 11,000 to a seasonally adjusted 444,000. Wall Street economists polled by Thomson Reuters expected an increase of only 3,000. RETAIL SALES UNEXPECTEDLY FALL IN DECEMBER Sales at U.S. retailers unexpectedly fell in December as consumer spent less on vehicles and an array of other goods during the holiday shopping month, data showed on Thursday, raising concerns about … Continue reading Are Those Green Shoots Starting to Wither and Die?