JOBLESS CLAIMS: Weekly Claims See Fall, But Jobs Picture Remains Weak. “New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, but a rise in the four-week moving average to a six-month high indicated the labor market recovery will remain painfully slow. . . . The four-week moving average of unemployment claims, a better measure of underlying trends, rose 1,250 to 439,000 – the highest level since mid-November.” And last week’s number was revised upward.