By Mucahithan Avcioglu
ISTANBUL (AA) - The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims increased by 8,000 last week to 237,000, according to the US Labor Department data released on Thursday.
The figure came below the market forecasts of 230,000, and was up from the previous week's unrevised level of 229,000.
The four-week moving average was 231,000 – a rise of 2,500 from the previous week's unrevised average of 228,500.
In July, the US economy added 73,000 jobs, well below market forecasts of 106,000.
The job additions for June and May, meanwhile, were revised downwards by a combined figure of 258,000.
Unemployment rose to 4.2% in July from 4.1% in June, matching market forecasts.