By Ovunc Kutlu
ISTANBUL (AA) - The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims fell by 17,000 last week to 222,000, according to Labor Department data released Thursday.
The figure came in lower than estimates of 236,000. The previous week's reading was revised up by 1,000 from 238,000 to 239,000.
The four-week moving average was 233,500, a decrease of 5,250 from the previous week's revised average.
The US economy added 206,000 jobs in June, while the unemployment rate rose to 4.1% from 4% in May.