US initial jobless claims down 2,000

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA (AA) – The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims last week decreased by 2,000, according to the Labor Department figures released on Thursday.

Seasonally adjusted initial jobless claims came in at 243,000 last week, below market forecast of 253,000.

The previous week's level was revised down by 5,000 from 250,000 to 245,000.

The four-week moving average was 247,000, an increase of 1,500 from the previous week's revised average.

The US economy added 528,000 jobs in July, while the unemployment rate dropped to 3.5%.