WASHINGTON, May 17- Unemployment rates dropped in 43 out of the 50 U.S. states and in the District of Columbia in April from a year before, according to Labor Department data released on Friday. A handful of states, including Illinois, Delaware, Indiana, Wisconsin, Mississippi and New Hampshire saw their jobless rates rise over the year.
MONTPELIER, Vt.-- Vermont's unemployment rate continues to decline. In the state's 17 local labor market areas, the non-seasonally adjusted rates for April ranged from 2.9 percent in the Hartford area to 7.3 percent in Newport.
ATLANTA-- Georgia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 8.2 percent in April, state labor officials said Thursday. The figure is down from 8.4 percent in March, and 9.1 percent a year ago, according to the Georgia Department of Labor. Georgia's unemployment rate is now the lowest it has been since December 2008, Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said.
May 16- New Jersey's unemployment rate dropped to 8.7 percent in April and personal income tax collections rose 29.1 percent to $2.23 billion from the same month last April, state data show.
NEW YORK/ LONDON, May 16- Brent crude oil futures rose on Thursday on dollar declines, but gains were capped by a stall in the U.S. equity market as a jump in U.S. jobless claims stoked investor worry about an economic recovery.
NEW YORK, May 16- U.S. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits jumped by 32,000 to a seasonally adjusted 360,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday- the biggest jump since November.
LONDON, May 16- Brent oil futures climbed above $104 on Thursday, responding to dollar declines, while a jump in U.S. jobless claims capped gains as they added to the bearish demand outlook.
NEW YORK, May 16- U.S. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits jumped by 32,000 to a seasonally adjusted 360,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday. "There's plenty of slack in the labor market," said Tanweer Akram, senior economist with ING U.S. Investment Management in Atlanta, Georgia.
WASHINGTON, May 16- The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits climbed last week at the fastest pace in six months, a worrisome sign for the economy which has been hit by government austerity. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits jumped by 32,000 to a seasonally adjusted 360,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday.
WASHINGTON-- The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits has fallen to its lowest level since before the recession. The Labor Department will release the report at 8:30 a.m. EDT Thursday. Two weeks ago, the unemployment aid applications fell to 323,000, the fewest since January 2008.
OLYMPIA, Wash.-- Washington state's unemployment rate dropped to 7 percent in April, and the state added an estimated 3,800 jobs last month, according to numbers released Wednesday. The state has now regained about 78 percent of the more than 200,000 jobs lost during the recession, officials with the state Employment Security Department said.
The Department of Energy reports that U.S. oil output is at its highest level in 21 years. Mark Perry, University of Michigan and "The Kudlow Report" crew discuss. "Everything about this [energy] story is so good, it's creating middle class prosperity," says Perry. Jim Iuorio, TJM Institutional Services, weighs in.