WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The number of people filing initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell by 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 502,000 in the week ended Nov. 7, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Initial jobless claims have hovered above 500,000 for 52 straight weeks. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch expected initial claims to drop to about 510,000. Continuing state claims declined 139,000 to a seasonally adjusted 5.63 million, the lowest since March.
