By Ovunc Kutlu
ISTANBUL (AA) – The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims fell by 1,000 last week to 205,000, according to Labor Department figures released on Thursday.
The figure was lower than the market estimate of 215,000, while the previous week’s figure was revised up from 204,000 to 206,000.
The four-week moving average was 212,500, a decrease of 1,750 from the previous week’s revised average.
The US economy added 223,000 jobs in December, while the unemployment rate fell to 3.5%, from 3.7% the month before, according to the agency.