US initial jobless claims down by 12,000

ISTANBUL

The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims fell by 12,000 last week to 237,000, according to Labor Department data released on Thursday.

The figure came lower than market estimates of 250,000, while the previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 248,000 to 249,000.

The four-week moving average was 246,750, a decrease of 6,750 from the previous week's revised average.

The US economy added 209,000 jobs in June, while the unemployment rate fell to 3.6%, from 3.7% in May.