The yield on the US 10-year note was 4 basis points higher to 3.43 per cent at 2.12pm in New York. The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits increased more than expected last week, further evidence that labour market conditions were gradually easing. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 11,000 to a seasonally adjusted 239,000 for the week ended April 8. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 232,000 claims for the latest week. Separately, the Labor Department said its producer price index for final demand dropped 0.5 per cent in March, the most since April 2020,…