Unemployment

Initial Jobless Claims Fall Again, Signal Stability? 

First-time applications for state unemployment benefits dropped 24,000 to a seasonally adjusted 467,000 in the week ending Jan. 3, the Labor Department said Thursday. This report marks the third consecutive week of declines, a much improved trend that may foreshadow an unexpected sign of stability in the economy, as Dow Jones Newswires expected claims would actually climb 63,000. Or it may prove to mean little at all, too, given that holiday readings of employment data tend to be rather volatile.