US initial jobless claims down by 16,000

ISTANBUL

The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims decreased by 16,000 last week to 207,000, according to Labor Department data released on Thursday.

The figure was much lower than the market forecast of 224,000 and down from the previous week's unrevised level of 223,000.

The four-week moving average was 212,500 – a drop of 1,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 213,500.

In December, the US economy added 256,000 jobs, following a downwardly revised 212,000 in November.