First-time jobless claims drop slightly last week - Yahoo! News

First-time jobless claims drop slightly last week - Yahoo! News

WASHINGTON – The number of newly laid-off workers requesting unemployment benefits slipped last week, the latest sign the employment picture is slowly brightening.

The Labor Department said initial jobless claims fell by 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 462,000. That's close to Wall Street analysts' estimates of 460,000, according to Thomson Reuters, and the second straight drop.

The figures come after other mildly positive news on employment. Job openings rose in January to their highest level in almost a year, the department said on Tuesday. And the unemployment rate was unchanged at 9.7 percent in February, the department said last week, better than analysts expected. The jobless rate hasn't risen since October...

Nashville consumer spending may be on upswing | tennessean.com | The Tennessean

Nashville consumer spending may be on upswing | tennessean.com | The Tennessean

There are hopeful signs that consumers are ready to open their wallets again. Customers appear to be spending a bit more, pushing up sales and profits at national retail chains. And Nashville-based stores like Genesco Inc. say it is poised to grab even more of the hat-wear market, after beating Wall Street's expectations in its last quarter's sales results...