The number of Americans who applied for unemployment benefits in early February rose slightly, but there’s still no sign of widespread layoffs in an economy that has been expanding for a record 10 and a half years. Initial jobless claims edged up by 2,000 to 205,000 in the seven days ended Feb. 8, the government said Thursday. The figures are seasonally adjusted. Economists polled by MarketWatch had forecast a 211,000 reading. The more stable monthly average of jobless claims, which filters out the weekly ups and downs, was unchanged at 212,000. New applications for unemployment benefits give an idea of how many ... (full story)