US initial jobless claims rise by 5,000

By Ovunc Kutlu

ANKARA (AA) - The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims last week rose by 5,000 to 213,000, according to figures released by the Labor Department on Thursday.

The market expectation for the claims was 218,000, while the previous week's level was revised down by 5,000 from 213,000 to 208,000.

The four-week moving average was 216,750, a decrease of 6,000 from the previous week's revised average.

The US economy generated 315,000 jobs in August, well above the market estimate of 300,000; but the unemployment rate rose to 3.7% from 3.5% month-on-month.