AP - New requests for jobless benefits rose last week to the highest level in almost four months. Economists said the jump in claims is a cautionary sign that higher corporate profits and a slowly recovering economy aren%27t spurring companies to generate many jobs.

AP - A surprisingly poor signal on the jobs market sent stocks slightly lower Thursday as investors remained worried about a lack of hiring. The modest drop came after the Labor Department said first-time claims for unemployment benefits rose unexpectedly last week. Investors tried to muster a late-day rally, but there wasn%27t enough momentum to push the Dow Jones industrial average back into positive territory.

AP - A disappointing jobs report sent investors out of stocks and the dollar Friday and into assets perceived as being safer. Foreign currencies and gold rose, as did bond prices, which sent interest rates lower. The yield on the two-year Treasury note hit a record low. Stocks sank for most of the day but pared their losses in late afternoon trading. The Dow Jones industrials ended down 21 points after being down as much as 160 earlier.