By Greg Robb
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - First-time claims for state unemployment benefits declined by the largest amount in more than a month in the latest week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The number of initial claims in the week ending Sept. 1 fell 12,000 to 365,000. The consensus forecast of Wall Street economists was for claims to fall a slight 1,000 to 373,000. There was no indication Hurricane Isaac played any role in the numbers this week, according to a Labor Department official. The four-week average inched up by 250 to 371,250. Claims in the previous week were revised to an increase of 3,000 to 377,000 compared with the initial estimate that they held steady at 374,000.
