Bloomberg (08/01/13) Lorraine Woellert
The number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week dropped to the lowest level since January 2008. Jobless claims fell 19,000 to 326,000 in the week ended July 27, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had forecast an increase to 345,000. The less-volatile four-week moving average of new jobless claims fell to 341,250 last week from 345,750.