US initial jobless claims down 3,000 last week

By Mucahithan Avcioglu

ISTANBUL (AA) -The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims fell by 3,000 last week to 224,000, according to Labor Department data released on Thursday.

The figure came in below market forecasts of 225,000 and was down from the previous week's upwardly revised level of 227,000.

The four-week moving average was 221,750—an increase of 750 from the previous week's upwardly revised average of 221,000.

In July, the US economy added 73,000 jobs, well below the market forecasts of 106,000.

The job additions for June and May, meanwhile, were revised downwards by a combined figure of 258,000.

The unemployment rate rose to 4.2% in July from 4.1% in June, matching market forecasts.