US initial jobless claims down 23,000 last week, below estimates

​​​​​​​By Mucahithan Avcioglu

ISTANBUL (AA) - The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims fell 23,000 last week to 206,000, according to the US Labor Department data released Thursday.

Markets expected the figure to fall to 223,000 from the previous week's upwardly revised 229,000.

The four-week moving average was 219,000 -- a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's upwardly revised 220,000.

The US economy added 130,000 jobs in January, well above forecasts, up from 48,000 in the previous month.

The unemployment rate fell to 4.3% last month, from 4.4% in December.