Initial US jobless claims down by 21,000, below forecasts

​​​​​​​By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) - The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims fell by 21,000 last week to 221,000, according to Labor Department data released Thursday.

The figure was below the market forecast of 234,000 and down from the previous week's revised level of 242,000.

The four-week moving average was 224,250 -- a raise of 250 from the previous week's revised level of 224,000.

In January, the unemployment rate remained at 4%, down from 4.1% in December.