US initial jobless claims fall by 12,000 to lowest in 5 weeks

ISTANBUL

The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims fell by 12,000 last week to 201,000, their lowest level in five weeks, according to Labor Department data released Thursday.

The figure came in much lower than the market estimates of 217,000.

The previous week's reading was revised up by 1,000 from 212,000 to 213,000.

The four-week moving average was 215,250, a decrease of 3,500 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%.