US Jobless Claims Fall, Import Prices Up By Laura MacInnis WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Americans claiming initial jobless benefits fell unexpectedly last week in a show of strength for the U.S. labor market, while an energy-driven rise in import prices offered mixed signals on inflation pressures. First-time claims for state unemployment insurance dropped 2,000 to 302,000 in the week ended Feb. 12, the Labor Department said on Thursday. It was the third straight weekly decline and defied Wall Street expectations of a rise to 315,000. U.S. Treasury debt prices, already down, added to their losses as the surprisingly strong jobless report and a hint of imported inflation made it a little more likely the Federal Reserve would keep raising interest rates. The dollar strengthened against the euro. The Labor Department said last week's decrease brought new jobless claims to the lowest level since October 2000, before the economy tipped into recession. "This is confirmation that the labor markets are improving and it's consistent with the decline in unemployment we saw down to 5.2 percent in January," said Gary Thayer, chief economist at A.G. Edwards & Sons in St. Louis. The drop in claims was also likely to boost expectations on February's broader payroll report, due in March, which is compiled in the pay period that contains the 12th day of the month. "A January to February survey week comparison of initial unemployment claims shows a decrease in claims of 16,000 over the month," Bank of America said in a research note. It estimated payroll employment would rise 225,000 in February. Another closely watched gauge of future U.S. economic activity fell 0.3 percent in January after two months of gains, serving to temper analyst optimism. The New York-based Conference Board said its index of leading indicators fell last month to 115.6, with five of the 10 components falling, including vendor performance and consumer expectations. The coincident index of current economic activity was unchanged in January. ENERGY BOOSTS IMPORT COSTS     Continued ... Quelle "US Jobless Claims Fall, Import Prices Up" : reuters.com Main page for "US Jobless Claims Fall, Import Prices Up"