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The number of Americans who applied for unemployment benefits fell in early January to a 1½-month low and dropped below the key 200,000 threshold for only the second time in a year, possibly providing a sign of improvement in a frail U.S. labor market.
Initial jobless claims slid by 9,000 to 198,000 in the seven days ended Jan. 10,
the government said. The figure is seasonally adjusted.
