US weekly jobless claims hit 1.5 million, bringing the 12-week total to 44 million

· US jobless claims for the week that ended Saturday totaled 1.5 million, the Labor Department said Thursday. That fell slightly short of the median economist estimate.
· That brought the 12-week total to 44 million. Thursday's report also marked the 10th straight week of declining claims.
· Continuing claims, which...