Jobless Claims Sink to 3-Year Low

It was a surprise drop, notes Bloomberg
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 15, 2011 9:39 AM CST
Jobless Claims Sink to 3-Year Low
A jobs sign hangs above the entrance to the US Chamber of Commerce building in Washington, DC on December 13, 2011.   (Getty Images)

Unexpected visit from the in-laws: bad news. Unexpected drop in jobless claims: very good news. Though Bloomberg reports that economists anticipated that the number of Americans filing first-time jobless claims would hold steady around 390,000, it instead dropped by 19,000 last week, to 366,000. The last time it was that low? May 2008, a long-ago era when Jennifer Aniston was dating John Mayer and Newser thought "twittering" was an appropriate verb. Reuters notes that the number is approaching the 350,000 mark, one that analysts consider a sign of "more sustained improvement in the job market." Stocks rose on the news, notes Marketwatch. (More jobless stories.)

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