US initial jobless claims increase by 2,000

ISTANBUL

The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims rose by 2,000 last week to 232,000, according to Labor Department data released on Thursday.

The figure came in slightly lower than market estimates of 235,000, while the previous week's figure was revised up by 1,000 from 229,000 to 230,000.

The four-week moving average was 229,500, a decrease of 2,500 from the previous week's revised average.

The US economy added 253,000 jobs in April, while the unemployment rate fell to 3.4%, from 3.5% the month before.