By Jeffry Bartash
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Jobless claims in the U.S. were unchanged last week at a seasonally adjusted 351,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch estimated claims would total 353,000. Claims from two weeks ago were revised up to 351,000 from 348,000. The four-week average of claims, meanwhile, fell by 7,000 to 359,000, the lowest level since March 2008. The monthly average smoothes out seasonal quirks and provides a more accurate view of labor-market trends. Continuing claims decreased by 52,000 to a seasonally adjusted 3.39 million in the week ended Feb. 11. Continuing claims are reported with a one-week lag. About 7.5 million people received some kind of state or federal benefit in the week ended Feb. 4, down 178,619 from the prior week. Total claims are reported with a two-week lag and are not seasonally adjusted.
