The numbers: The number of people who applied for unemployments benefits in early November fell to the lowest level in a month and clung near a half-century low, reflecting the resilience of the strongest labor market in decades.
Initial jobless claims declined by 8,000 to 211,000 in the seven days ended Nov. 2, the government said Thursday. Economists polled by MarketWatch had forecast new claims to total a seasonally adjusted 215,000.
