Applications for US unemployment aid fell to 258K last week

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer Americans sought unemployment benefits last week, evidence that the U.S. job market remains healthy.
THE NUMBERS: Weekly applications for unemployment aid dropped 3,000 to a seasonally adjusted 258,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, rose to 254,250.
The number of people receiving benefits rose 65,000 to 2.05 million. Yet that figure is down 5.7 percent from a year ago.
THE TAKEAWAY: Applications are a proxy for l