RICHIESTE DI SUSSIDIO SOTTO I 300K
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - The number of new applications for unemployment benefits fell by 23,000 last week to 298,000, the Labor Department said Thursday, but the decline may have been skewed by difficulties in making seasonal adjustments during the holidays. The holiday season kicked off last week with Thanksgiving, a commemorative day that often occurs at different times toward the end of November. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch expected claims to rise to 325,000 in the seven days ended Nov. 30 from a revised 321,000 in the prior week. Adjusted claims are now at the lowest level since early September and they are below 300,000 for only the second time since the recession ended in 2009. The average of new claims over the past month, a more reliable gauge than the volatile weekly number, fell by 10,750 to 322,250. That's the lowest level since late September. Also, the government said continuing claims decreased by 21,000 to a seasonally adjusted 2.74 million in the week ended Nov. 23. Continuing claims reflect the number of people already receiving benefits. Initial claims from two weeks ago, meanwhile, were revised up by 5,000 from an original reading of 316,000, based on more complete data collected at the state leve