By Mucahithan Avcioglu
ISTANBUL (AA) - The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims decreased by 9,000 last week to 198,000, according to the US Labor Department data released Thursday.
Markets had expected the figure to rise to 215,000 from the previous week's downwardly revised 207,000.
The four-week moving average was 205,000 – a decrease of 6,500 from the previous week's 211,500.
The last week's four-week average was the lowest level for this average since January 20, 2024 when it was 203,250.
The US economy added 50,000 jobs in December, below forecasts, following a 56,000 gain in November.
The unemployment rate was down to 4.4% in December, from 4.5% in November, below expectations.