A surge in new home sales and a drop in weekly unemployment claims suggest that the economy might not be as weak as some analysts previously thought.
画线部分就是对的，   我想问一下, 这里的claims 是什么词性呢 ,  句子结构是   a surge  and a drop   claims   suggest ......         如何分析.  

claims是名词吧！
主语是a surge and a drop，in weekly unemployment claims修饰a drop。