By Ovunc Kutlu
ISTANBUL (AA) - The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims fell by 7,000 last week to 221,000, according to Labor Department data released Thursday.
The figure came lower than market estimates of 235,000, while the previous week's level was unrevised at 228,000.
The four-week moving average was 233,750, a decrease of 3,750 from the previous week's unrevised average of 237,500.
The US economy added 209,000 jobs in June, while the unemployment rate fell to 3.6%, from 3.7% in May.