Weekly claims resume their decline

After having been relatively flat since early this year, claims appear to have resumed their decline with today's release. To be truthful, of course, actual (non-seasonally-adjusted)claims have risen in the past few weeks, but they have risen by less than usual, as automakers and other manufacturers have not laid off as many people this year as they normally do. Thus the seasonally-adjusted number has dropped. Fewer-than-expected layoffs are still a good thing, and one more sign that the economy continues to gradually improve.