The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell to a seasonally adjusted 340,000 last week, driving down the four-week average to its lowest level in five years. The drop is a positive sign ahead of Friday's report on February job growth.
The Labor Department says applications fell 7,000 in the week ended March 2. That's near five-year lows reached in January. And the four-week average, a less volatile measure, dropped 7,000 to 348,750. That's the lowest since March 2008, just a few months into the Great Recession.
Weekly applications are a proxy for layoffs. When they fall, it suggests that companies are shedding fewer jobs. More hiring may follow.
Economists forecast that employers added 152,000 jobs in February and the unemployment rate dipped to 7.8 percent from 7.9 percent.
Friday, May 24 2013 2:59 PM EDT2013-05-24 18:59:32 GMT
The biographer whose extramarital affair with then-CIA director David Petraeus triggered his resignation says she regrets the relationship and the harm and grief it caused her family.
The biographer whose extramarital affair with then-CIA director David Petraeus triggered his resignation says she regrets the relationship and the harm and grief it caused her family.
Friday, May 24 2013 2:47 PM EDT2013-05-24 18:47:59 GMT
This may be hard to believe in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, but an annual list of the best beaches in the country has a New York beach ranked No. 1.
This may be hard to believe in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, but an annual list of the best beaches in the country has a New York beach ranked No. 1.
Friday, May 24 2013 12:10 PM EDT2013-05-24 16:10:03 GMT
For the past 40 years, the ‘Old Guard' has honored America's fallen heroes by placing American flags on the gravestones of service members buried at Arlington National Cemetery just before Memorial Day
The 'Old Guard' places flags at Arlington National Cemetery to get ready for Memorial Day.
Friday, May 24 2013 11:25 AM EDT2013-05-24 15:25:10 GMT
A truck hauling an oversized load struck an overhead bridge girder on the major interstate between Seattle and Canada, sending a section of the span and two vehicles into the Skagit River below.
A truck hauling an oversized load struck an overhead bridge girder on the major interstate between Seattle and Canada, sending a section of the span and two vehicles into the Skagit River below.
Friday, May 24 2013 11:08 AM EDT2013-05-24 15:08:41 GMT
The man who famously put down his Big Mac to help rescue three women held captive for years in a Cleveland house will get free McDonald's for the next year.
The man who famously put down his Big Mac to help rescue three women held captive for years in a Cleveland house will get free McDonald's for the next year, a company spokeswoman confirmed Thursday.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 10:21 PM EDT2013-05-23 02:21:23 GMT
The Durham Police Department is investigating an apparent domestic murder-suicide Wednesday afternoon in the parking lot of an office complex on Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard.
The Durham Police Department is investigating an apparent domestic murder-suicide Wednesday afternoon in the parking lot of an office complex on Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard.
Tuesday, May 21 2013 10:20 PM EDT2013-05-22 02:20:27 GMT
There's a huge new development on the horizon in the core of the Triangle coming into public focus. A new technology area known as "Chatham Park" near Pittsboro is seeking official approvals for its newly
A new technology area known as "Chatham Park" near Pittsboro is seeking official approvals for its newly revised master plan.
Question, comment or news tip? Our main desk is happy to take your call and direct you to the appropriate department. Our station phone number is:919-836-1717 Our address is:1205 Front St.Raleigh,
Question, comment or news tip? Our main desk is happy to take your call and direct you to the appropriate department. Our station phone number is:919-836-1717 Our address is:1205 Front St.Raleigh,
