The number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week fell by 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 390,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. That’s the fewest since April.
The U.S. trade deficit narrowed to $43.1 billion in September, its lowest point of the year, the Commerce Department said. Foreign sales of American-made autos, airplanes and heavy machinery pushed exports to an all-time high.
The data suggest layoffs are easing and the economy grew slightly better over the summer than the government had estimated a month ago.
via Unemployment Claims Drop; Trade Gap Narrows : NPR.