US jobless claims trend at 15-year low

New claims for US unemployment insurance benefits rose modestly last week but the overall trend fell to a 15-year low, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Initial jobless claims, a sign of the pace of layoffs, rose by 3,000 to 265,000 in the week ending May 2, the department said. The claims data came a day ahead of the government's April jobs report. The Labor Department is expected to report Friday that the economy added 218,000 jobs last month, rebounding from a tepid 126,000 in Marc