Jobless Claims Drop as Confidence in U.S. Picks Up: Economy

Fewer Americans are filing applications for unemployment benefits, consumer confidence is rising and manufacturing is picking up as the world’s largest economy shows additional signs of strengthening.

Jobless claims fell by 6,000 to 312,000 in the week ended June 14, the Labor Department reported today in Washington. Households this month were the most optimistic about the economic outlook in a year, factories in the Philadelphia region expanded at a faster pace and the index of leading indicators rose in May for the fourth straight month, other reports showed.