U.S. jobless claims fall in latest week (by Corbett B. Daly)

WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- The number of people filing first-time unemployment insurance claims fell in the latest week, the Labor Department said Thursday. First-time claims in the week ended May 22 fell by 3,000 to 344,000, while the average number of initial claims over the past four weeks rose by 1,500 to 335,500, the department said. In the prior week, the four-week average was the lowest since the week ended Nov. 18, 2000. Economists prefer the four-week average over the more volatile weekly number, which is subject to large revisions.