US initial jobless claims fall by 12,000

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) - The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims fell by 12,000 last week to 219,000, according to Labor Department data released Thursday.

The figure was lower than estimates of 230,000, while the previous week's reading was revised from 230,000 to 231,000.

The four-week moving average was 227,500, a decrease of 3,500 from the previous week's revised average.

The US economy added 142,000 jobs in August, while the unemployment rate fell to 4.2% from 4.3% in July.