By Ovunc Kutlu
ISTANBUL (AA) - The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims declined by 24,000 last week to 209,000, according to Labor Department data released Wednesday.
The figure came in much lower than market estimates of 225,000, while the previous week's reading was revised up by 2,000 from 231,000 to 233,000.
The four-week moving average was 220,000, a decrease of just 750 from the previous week's revised average.
The US economy added 150,000 jobs in October, while the unemployment rate rose to 3.9%, from 3.8% in September.