U.S. continuing unemployment claims hit record 5.1 million

Yet another ignominious distinction for the U.S. labor market -- and one that does not bode well for the U.S. economy or stock market.

U.S. continuing jobless claims rose 114,000 to a 5.11 million Americans, the highest level since record keeping for the statistic began in 1967, the U.S. Labor Department announced Thursday. Meanwhile, initial jobless claims rose 36,000 to 667,000 for the week ending February 21.