US initial jobless claims up 18,000 last week, above forecasts

​​​​​​​By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) - Initial jobless claims in the US hit 241,000 for the week ending April 26, up 18,000 from the previous week's revised figure, above expectations, according to Labor Department data released Thursday.

The previous week's number was revised up 1,000 to 223,000,

The four-week moving average was 226,000, down 5,500 from the previous week's revised average.

The seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.3% for the week ending April 19, up 0.1 percentage points from the previous week.

The seasonally adjusted insured unemployment number was 1.92 million, revised up 83,000 from the previous week.