The U.S. Labor Department reports on the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week. The report will be released at 8:30 a.m. Eastern on Thursday. FLAT READING: Economists forecast that weekly applications were unchanged at 315,000, according to a survey by FactSet. That's 9 percent lower than at the beginning of this year and is in line with pre-recession levels. Applications are a proxy for layoffs, so the low level indicates that employers are letting go of fewer workers. When businesses are confident enough to keep staff, they are also likely to hire more people. JOB MARKET HEALING: The low ... (full story)