Unemployment claims fall more than forecast

Washington, D.C. -- A report issued Thursday by the Labor Department showed that applications for jobless benefits fell 14,000 in the week ended June 30, to 374,000.



The news eased some concern that the labor market is faltering further.



“Before today it was pretty clear the labor market had softened over the past few months,” Daniel Silver, an economist at JPMorgan Chase & Co., told Bloomberg. “Today’s reports show a little bright spot.”