US weekly requests for jobless aid fell to a low 229,000

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer Americans sought unemployment benefits last week, as the figure stayed close to historic lows in a sign that the job market is healthy.
THE NUMBERS: The Labor Department said Thursday that applications for jobless aid fell 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 229,000 last week. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, dropped to a 44-year low of 232,500.The four-week average was previously that low in April 1973, when the U.S. economy had a smaller population and f