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. MILD INCREASE EXPECTED: Economists forecast that the number of people seeking benefits rose 9,000 to a seasonally adjusted 313,000, according to a survey by FactSet. Despite the increase, that figure is in line with pre-recession levels, a sign that employers are cutting few jobs. EASTER SURPRISE: One wild card impacting last week's figures could be the Easter holiday, which falls at different times each year. Last year Easter fell on March 30, ... (full story)