By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week, pointing to resilience in the labor market despite belt-tightening by Washington. The improving employment picture is helping to prop up housing, with rising home prices keeping domestic consumption supported, limiting the drag from tighter fiscal policy that is dampening factory activity. "All the eggs are in housing and the consumers' baskets this quarter. ...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks hit session highs in a volatile session on Thursday with the Dow industrials posting a second straight swing of more than 160 points as investors digest the Federal Reserve's evolving policy stance. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 20.81 points or 0.14 percent, to 15,327.98, the S&P 500 lost 1.98 points or 0.12 percent, to 1,653.37 and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.03 points or 0 percent, to 3,463.33. (Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by Nick Zieminski)

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Lawyers for SAC Capital Advisors called a meeting with U.S. prosecutors and agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation in April to argue that there should be no insider trading charges filed against the $15 billion hedge fund or its founder Steven A. Cohen, according to sources familiar with the matter. Lawyers for the firm made an "aggressive presentation," according to the sources, reviewing the government's investigation trade-by-trade to support their claim that the government did not have enough evidence to charge Cohen. ...

By Michelle Sierra NEW YORK (Reuters) - Activist investor Carl Icahn and Southeastern Asset Management Inc have initiated talks with banks and asset managers to line up commitments for as much as $7 billion in bridge loans to back their leveraged recapitalization proposal for Dell Inc, banking sources told Thomson Reuters LPC on Thursday. Jefferies & Co is leading the deal. Icahn and Southeastern are looking to lock in the financing before Dell shareholders meet in July to vote on a rival take-private offer from CEO Michael Dell and Silver Lake Partners. ...