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Jobless Claims Slide to Near 15-Month Low - CNNMoney.com -- The number of first-time filers for unemployment insurance fell last week to a nearly 15-month low, according to a government report released Wednesday.

There were 457,000 initial jobless claims filed in the week ended Nov. 28, down 5,000 from a revised 462,000 the previous week, the Labor Department said.

That's the lowest level since the week ended Sept. 6, 2008. The week being reported included the Thanksgiving holiday.

Stocks Falter Ahead of Jobs Report - CNNMoney.com -- Stocks zigzagged Thursday in cautious trading ahead of Friday's big jobs report as investors considered the day's economic news, Bank of America's plan to pay back the government $45 billion in aid and the latest from Washington.

Investors were also keeping an eye on the dollar, which fluctuated versus other major currencies, and a joint venture between General Electric and Comcast.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 86 points, or 0.8%. The S&P 500 index lost 9 points or 0.8%. The Nasdaq composite  rose 12 points, or 0.5%.

Average rates for 30-year and 15-year fixed mortgages fell for the fifth consecutive week, reaching all-time lows - Interest rates on 30-year and 15-year fixed mortgages thus far in 2009 averaged one percentage point below their respective average in 2008.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.71% for the week ending Dec. 3 -- the lowest it has been since Freddie Mac began its weekly survey in 1971, BUT HAS BEEN SLOWLY MOVING UP ALL WEEK.