The U.S. Labor Department reports on the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week. The report will be released Thursday at 8:30 a.m. Eastern. MODEST RISE: Economists forecast that weekly applications rose 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 298,000, according to a survey by FactSet. That slight increase has little impact on a protracted trend of fewer people seeking jobless aid, putting the number of claims near seven-year lows. Over the past 12 months, the number of people collecting benefits has fallen 14.3 percent, to 2.46 million. Weekly applications are a proxy for layoffs. The decline over ... (full story)