The numbers: The number of Americans who applied for unemployment benefits in stayed below 200,000 for the fifth week in a row, signaling the U.S. labor market is still quite strong.
Economists polled by the Wall Street Journal had forecast that new claims would total 200,000 in the seven days ending Feb. 11. The figures are seasonally adjusted. New claims have ranged from a high of 241,000 to a low of 183,000 since Thanksgiving. By most measures, the labor market is still quite robust.
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