US initial jobless claims fall by 15,000

ISTANBUL

The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims fell by 15,000 last week to 227,000, according to Labor Department data released Thursday.

The figure was lower than estimates of 243,000, while the previous week's reading was revised up from 241,000 to 242,000.

The four-week moving average was 238,500 -- an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's revised average.

The US economy added 254,000 jobs in September, up from a revised 159,000 jobs in August, while the unemployment rate fell to 4.1% from 4.2%.