US jobless claims rose last week for the first time since March, the clearest sign yet of a pause in the economic recovery as coronavirus cases surge in much of the country and force businesses to close their doors once again.

Initial claims through regular state programmes increased to 1.42-million in the week ended July 18, up by 109,000 from the prior week, a report by the country’s labour department showed on Thursday; on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, claims declined...