As the Labor Department reported, employers added 163,000 jobs last month -- far more than the 100,000 forecast and the biggest gain since February. But the nation's unemployment rate ticked up to 8.3 percent. Here are four pieces of good news buried in the report.
Initial jobless claims unexpectedly surged by 19,000 to 479,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. Although the statistic was likely skewed higher by normal summer factory shutdowns, the increase portrays a labor market still under strain.
Analysts' expectations are that sales rose to the highest levels of the year last month as increased automaker incentives lured bargain-hunters.
