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For the third time in four weeks, applications for unemployment benefits fell. The number dropped by 22,000 to 391,000 last week, according to the Labor Department. The four week average fell to its lowest level in two and a half years at 402,000. Economists say that the number signal modest job growth, but that numbers would need to fall to 375,000 or below for there to be a significant decline in unemployment. The number of people receiving unemployment benefits also fell, to 9.2 million.