US initial jobless claims fall by 18,000

ISTANBUL

The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims fell by 18,000 last week to 202,000, according to Labor Department data released Thursday.

The figure came in lower than market estimates of 216,000, while the previous week's reading was revised up by 2,000 from 218,000 to 220,000.

The four-week moving average was 207,750, a decrease of 4,750 from the previous week's revised average.

The US economy added 199,000 jobs in November, while the unemployment rate fell to 3.7% from 3.9% in October.