jobless claims
Fewer American sought unemployment benefits last week, lowering jobless claims to 793,000, evidence that job cuts remain high despite a substantial decline in new viral infections.

Last week's total fell from 812,000 the previous week, the Labor Department said Thursday.

That figure was revised higher from the previously-reported figure of 779,000.

Before the virus erupted in the United States in March, weekly applications for jobless aid had never topped 700,000, even during the Great Recession.