US weekly jobless claims hit 1.3 million, less than economist forecasts

· US jobless claims for the week that ended Saturday totaled 1.3 million, the Labor Department said Thursday. That came in below the consensus economist estimate of 1.38 million.
· Thursday's report marked the 14th straight week of declining claims. It also brought total filings over a 16-week period to nearly 50 million.
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