Over the past week, 21,000 more Americans claimed unemployment benefits, . Like most economic news, that's the bad news. The good news, reports the AP, is the that the four-week average is down 2,500, which "still signals a healthier job market."
The Commerce Department also has some good news on the economy: Orders for durable goods rose 3 percent, last month.
The AP reports that this marks a gain for the second straight month. The AP adds:
"Perhaps the best evidence of that was a 2.9 percent increase in so-called core capital goods, such as computers and machinery. That pushed total orders for the category to a record $68.9 billion.
"Economists pay most attention to so-called core capital goods because they are often viewed as a good way of gauging business investment plans."
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