(INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY) – The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell to 832,000 in the week through Aug. 8, unadjusted for seasonal effects, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The 156,000 decline brought new jobless claims to the lowest level since the first half of March, before coronavirus shutdowns crashed the job market. The continuing job market improvement gave a lift to Dow Jones futures before the open.
Still, 15.2 million Americans continued to claim regular jobless benefits in the week of Aug. 1, down 625,000 from the prior week. Because Republicans and Democrats haven’t agreed on a new stimulus package, those jobless workers are now receiving $600 less per week in unemployment benefits.
