By Ovunc Kutlu
ISTANBUL (AA) - The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims fell 7,000 last week to 227,000, according to Labor Department data released Thursday.
The figure was less than market estimates of 236,000. The previous week's reading was revised from 233,000 to 234,000.
The four-week moving average was 236,500 -- a decrease of 4,500 from the previous week's revised average.
The US economy added 114,000 jobs in July, while the unemployment rate rose to 4.3% from 4.1% in June.