By Ovunc Kutlu
ISTANBUL (AA) - The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims fell by 8,000 last week to 212,000, according to Labor Department data released Thursday.
The figure came in lower than market estimates of 219,000.
The previous week's reading was revised up by 2,000 from 218,000 to 220,000.
The four-week moving average was 218,500, an increase of 5,750 from the previous week's revised average.
The US economy added 353,000 jobs in January, while the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.7%.