Weekly U.S. jobless claims drop 17,000 to 421,000

[The Straight Story]

Weekly U.S. jobless claims drop 17,000 to 421,000

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - The number of U.S. workers filing new applications for unemployment benefits fell by 17,000 last week to 421,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected initial claims in the week of Dec. 4 to fall to a seasonally adjusted 425,000. Last week's number was revised up by 2,000 to 438,000. Continuing claims, which reflect people already receiving unemployment checks, declined 191,000 to a seasonally adjusted 4.1 million. Some 8.3 million people received a form of state

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/weekly-us-jobless-claims-drop-17000-to-421000-2010-12-09

[AlinPA]

1. Here's a chart since 2005. It's going in the right direction as a trend and getting to

claims less than 400,000 will be a better sign of growth in jobs.
http://www.bullandbearwise.com/InitialJoblessChart.asp