US initial jobless claims down 2,000 last week

By Mucahithan Avcioglu

ISTANBUL (AA) - The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims fell by 2,000 to 227,000 last week, according to Labor Department data released on Thursday.

The figure came below the market forecasts of 230,000, and was down from the previous week's unrevised level of 229,000.

The four-week moving average was 231,500 -- an increase of 1,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 230,500.

In April, the US economy added 177,000 jobs, much higher than forecasts of 138,000.

The unemployment rate was expectedly at 4.2% in April, unchanged from March.