The U.S. economy continues to send mixed signals about how the nation is faring. The latest bit of positive news is that the number of people filing new unemployment claims dropped to 339,000, the lowest level in four and a half years and 30,000 fewer than the previous report from the U.S. Department of Labor.
Reuters reports that the numbers are far better than expected. Economists polled by the news organization expected the number of claims to rise to 370,000.
A clearer picture of the economy in Connecticut will form when the state Department of Labor releases the September unemployment figures. The numbers are typically released toward the end of the month.
August's unemployment rate of 9 percent was the highest in Connecticut since April 2011.
