The number of Americans who filed requests for jobless benefits rose by 24,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 399,000, the U.S. Labor Department said Thursday. Claims from two weeks ago were revised up to 375,000 from 372,000. The average of new claims over the past four weeks, meanwhile, increased by 7,750 to 381,750. Meanwhile, the Labor Department said continuing claims rose by 19,000 to a seasonally adjusted 3.63 million in the week ended Dec. 31. Continuing claims are reported with a one-week lag. About 7.33 million people received some...

Economic conditions improved as 2011 drew to a close, according to the Federal Reserve’s latest survey of economic conditions released on Wednesday. The Beige Book survey of business contacts in the Fed’s 12 districts said economic activity increased “at a modest to moderate pace.” This rate is an improvement from the mid-November report which said some districts were growing at a “slow” pace. “Compared with prior summaries, the reports on balance suggest ongoing improvement in economic conditions in recent months, with most districts highlighting more favorable conditions than identified in reports from...

Hostess lines up $75 million in...