unemployment Jobless benefits jump but remain in healthy range The number of Americans applying for

U.S. jobless claim applications for the week ending Dec. 6 climbed by 44,000 to 236,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Despite what on the surface appears to be a historically healthy job market, the Federal Reserve trimmed its benchmark lending rate by a quarter-point on Wednesday out of concern that the job market is weaker than it appears.