Weekly jobless claims dip for third week in four

The four-week average, thought of as a less volatile figure, fell to 386,250, its lowest point since July 2008, according to Bloomberg. The average stood at 393,250 the week before. 

Economists have generally said that a figure between 300,000 and 400,000 shows the economy is creating jobs. The Labor Department had reported last Thursday that jobless claims stood at 397,000 the previous week, before slightly increasing that figure. 

The department also said that the number of people collecting unemployment benefits was down 80,000 the week of March 5, to roughly 3.71 million. The four-week average came in at 3.78 million, a decrease of 58,000.