Unemployment applications drop to a 4-year low

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In this Feb. 14, 2012 photo, a job seeker looks for work at JobTrain employment center in Menlo Park, Calif. The number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell to the lowest point in almost four years last week, the latest signal that the job market is steadily improving. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

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Unemployment app... In this Feb. 14, 2012 photo, a job seeker looks for work at JobTrain employment center in Menlo Park, Calif. The number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell to the lowest point in almost four years last week, the latest signal that the job market is steadily improving. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
Wholesale prices... In this Feb 7, 2012 photo, a Costco member pumps gas outside a Costco Wholesale store in West Homestead, Pa. Wholesale gas prices rose, but were offset by steep drops in home heating oil, natural gas, and electricity, which fell by the most in more than seven years. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
US futures mixed... FILE - In this Feb. 10, 2012 file photo, traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Markets were in a jittery mood Thursday as uncertainty escalated over whether Greece will get vital bailout cash to avoid defaulting next month. (AP Photo/Jin Lee, File)
GM records its h... FILE - In this Aug. 30, 2011 file photo a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze is featured at a car dealership in San Jose, Calif. General Motors Co. said Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012, it made more money in 2011 than any year in its history. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
China soon will ... Customers calculate the price of gold necklaces at a booth from Japan at the International Jewelry Fair in Hong Kong Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012. China is poised to overtake India to become the world's biggest gold market this year as rising incomes fuel demand for the precious metal, an industry group said Thursday. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Greek bailout te... Luxembourg's Finance Minister Jean Claude Juncker, left, talks to Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos, prior to the start of the Eurogroup ministerial meeting at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012. Germany's finance minister says a deal between Greek party leaders on new spending cuts appears to not yet fulfill all the conditions for a euro 130 billion ($173 billion) bailout. (AP Photo/Yves Logghe)
Stock index futu... Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange
Retail sales ris... Shoppers leave and enter a store in New York
GM reports weake... A General Motors logo is seen on a vehicle for sale at the GM dealership in Carlsbad
Bernanke urges a... U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke testifies before a Senate Budget Committee hearing on the outlook for U.S. Monetary and Fiscal Policy on Capitol Hill
Greeks seek elus... A pedestrian walks by a Eurobank advertisement featuring a one euro coin in Athens