By Ovunc Kutlu
ISTANBUL (AA) - The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims rose 14,000 last week to 249,000, according to Labor Department data released Thursday.
The figure was slightly more than estimates of 236,000. The previous week's reading was unrevised at 235,000.
The four-week moving average was 238,000, an increase of 2,500 from the previous week's unrevised average of 235,500.
The US economy added 206,000 jobs in June, while the unemployment rate rose from 4% to 4.1% in May.