WASHINGTON — The economy is sending a message of hope laced with caution: that the recession is steadily easing, but new threats could delay any recovery.
One piece of heartening news was that the number of people seeking first-time jobless benefits fell last week, a sign that companies are cutting fewer workers.
And even though sales of newly built homes were flat last month, the figures suggested that the battered U.S. real-estate market is nearing a gradual comeback.
But pessimists could point to bleaker news Thursday: The number of people continuing to receive unemployment benefits rose to 6.78 million — the largest total on records dating to 1967 and the 17th straight record- high week.
The figure signaled that the jobless rate, which reached 8.9 percent in April, will rise in May, economists said. And many economists expect the rate to approach 10 percent by year’s end.
In addition, long-term interest rates are rising in the credit markets and taking mortgage rates with them. That’s raising anxiety about an economic recovery and making consumers think even harder about buying homes or refinancing their current mortgages.
The tally of newly laid-off workers filing initial claims for unemployment insurance fell last week to 623,000, the Labor Department said, from the previous week’s revised figure of 636,000 and below analysts’ expectations.
