US initial jobless claims down 12,000 last week

The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims fell 12,000 last week to 215,000, according to US Labor Department data released on Thursday.

The markets had expected the claims to fall to 225,000, following the previous week's upwardly revised 227,000.

The four-week moving average rose by 750 to 224,250 from the previous week's upwardly revised 223,500.

The US economy added 172,000 jobs in May, a figure much higher than expectations of an 85,000 gain.

The unemployment rate was at 4.3% in May, unchanged from April.