The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell sharply last week to its lowest level since the early days of the 2007-2009 recession, the Labor Department said in a report Thursday. The Labor Department said jobless claims fell 18,000 last week to 324,000, the lowest level since January 2008, one month after the start of a deep recession. The four-week moving average of jobless claims, considered a better measure of labor-market trends, fell 16,000 to 342,250. Weekly jobless claims at or below 350,000 are generally consistent with moderate hiring.
