The number of Americans filing applications for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week, pushing the average over the past month to the lowest level in eight years and signaling that employers are hanging on to workers as the economy improves. Jobless claims declined by 1,000 to 287,000 in the week ended Oct. 4, a Labor Department report showed today in Washington. The median forecast of 50 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for 295,000. The four-week average, considered a less volatile measure, decreased to 287,750, the least since February 2006. Firings are hovering around the lowest in almost a ... (full story)