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Initial jobless claims fell by 14,000 last week, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Consumer personal spending fell in March after two months of growth, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

Oil closed the trading day Wednesday near $51 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange following an Energy Department report that showed gasoline inventories declined last week, Bloomberg reported.

The Federal Reserve voted Wednesday to keep a key U.S. interest rate at a record low “target range” of zero to 0.25%.

Canadian transportation firm Mullen Group Income Fund said its first-quarter profit dropped 37.8% to C$31 million or 38 cents per unit, from C$49.8 million, or 62 cents per unit, a year ago.

The U.S. economy contracted at an annual rate of 6.1% rate in the first quarter, following the 6.3% downturn in the fourth quarter of last year, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.

Wright Express Corp. said Wednesday its first-quarter earnings fell to $11 million, or 28 cents a share, from $14.5 million, or 36 cents, a year ago.

McLeod Software said Wednesday that it had purchased Intergrated Logistics Execution Network Systems, or iLENS, a logistics software company.

For years, carriers have sought ways to improve their drivers’ behavior when on the road and out of corporate sight, relying mainly on word of mouth and variations on those ubiquitous “Am I Driving Safely?” signs.