The labor market continues to defy Federal Reserve attempts at loosening it, with U.S. applications for unemployment benefits down again last week and remaining at historically low levels. Jobless claims in the U.S. for the week ending March 18 fell by 1,000 to 191,000 from the previous week, the Labor Department said Thursday. Applications for unemployment benefits are seen as a barometer for layoffs in the U.S.
Wall Street fine tunes its views a day after the Federal Reserve lifted interest rates despite the banking crisis.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Thursday it was taking steps to improve its air traffic control operations after a series of near-miss incidents raised questions about U.S. aviation safety. "There is no question that we are seeing too many close calls," FAA Air Traffic Organization Chief Operating Officer Tim Arel said in a message to employees reviewed by Reuters. Six serious runway incursions since January prompted the agency to convene a safety summit last week.