US initial jobless claims up 2,000 last week

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) - Initial jobless claims in the US were 223,000 for the week ending March 15, up 2,000 from the previous week's revised figure, below market expectations.

The previous week's number was revised up by 1,000 to 221,000, according to Labor Department data released Thursday.

The four-week moving average was 227,000, up 750 from the previous week's revised average.

The seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.2% for the week ending March 8, unchanged from the previous week's unrevised rate.

The seasonally adjusted insured unemployment number during the week ending Sept. 14 was 1.86 million, revising down by 11,000 from the previous week.