Benzinga's Political Round Up

Jobless claims rose last week, coming in at 465,000 versus the 450,000 economists had expected. This could put additional pressure on the Federal Reserve to do an additional round of quantitative easing, which would be beneficial for multinationals like Caterpillar CAT and McDonald's MCD. Groundwork for a compromise in net neutrality is being laid by U.S. lawmakers. This would affect internet service providers such as AT&T T and Verizon VZ. House Republicans came out with a new 21 page report on how the Democrats are ruining the country. Republicans pledge to cut spending, repeal President Obama's health-care and stimulus plans. This could be a benefit for insurance companies like Allstate ALL if the health-care plans are watered down.