Jobless Aid Filings Fall

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer Americans filed for jobless aid last week as layoffs remain low despite a number of uncertainties that continue to cloud the economy. U.S. applications for unemployment benefits for the week ending May 16 fell by 3,000 to 209,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s fewer than the 213,000 new applications analysts had forecast. Weekly filings for unemployment benefits are considered a proxy for U.S. layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market. The total number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits for the previous week ending May 9 grew by 6,000 to 1.78 million.  US markets head lower as oil prices resume their climb and higher treasury yields pressure stocks