The Labor Department reports on the number of people who applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week. The report will be released at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time Thursday. APPLICATIONS MAY STAY LOW: Economists forecast that the number of people seeking benefits will dip 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 330,000, according to a survey by FactSet. That level is roughly in line with pre-recession figures, a sign that corporate layoffs are low. SIGN OF STABILITY: A steady reading would suggest that the job market isn't getting worse, despite weak job gains in the past two months. Those weak figures have raised concerns that ... (full story)