NPR's Elaine Korry reports on today's Labor Department announcement that first-time claims for jobless benefits took a dramatic drop last week. That put the four-week jobless claims average at an eight-year low. The nation's unemployment rate fell to 5.3% in February, amid strong job creation. The survey of business payrolls showed a net increase of 339,000 jobs for the month, far more than was expected. The stock and bond markets reacted favorably because there was little hint of any inflation in the new numbers.
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