Jobless Claims Lowest Since March, But Change Could Just Be Seasonal

By Paul Wiseman

WASHINGTON -- The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits dropped by 35,000 last week, a figure that may have been distorted by seasonal factors.

The Labor Department said Thursday that applications fell to a seasonally adjusted 353,000. That's down from a revised 388,000 the previous week and the biggest drop since February 2011.