The Labor Department reports on the number of people who applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week. Report to be released Thursday at 8:30 a.m. EDT. LITTLE CHANGE: Economists forecast that applications ticked up to a seasonally adjusted 310,000 from 308,000 the previous week, according to a survey by FactSet. SIX-YEAR LOWS: The government said last week that the four-week average of applications fell to 305,000, the lowest level since May 2007. That was six months before the recession started. The average has fallen 12 percent in the past three months. Applications are a proxy for layoffs. The steady decline ... (full story)