1.   But Tom Nardone, an economist at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, said that the seasonal quirks should not be allowed to obscure the broader picture.

2.   Consumer inflation quickened in September but the moderate increase was dominated by seasonal quirks and reimposition of the tax on airline tickets, a government report showed Wednesday.

3.   Still, the applications were driven down by seasonal quirks, including the Columbus Day holiday falling during the week.

4.   The Labor Department adjusted its employment numbers for seasonal quirks.

5.   Analysts had attributed the year-end jumps to a seasonal quirk and noted similar volatility often occurred at the end of previous years.