US initial jobless claims rise by 9,000

ISTANBUL

The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims rose by 9,000 last week to 221,000, according to Labor Department data released Thursday.

The figure was higher than estimates of 213,000.

The previous week's reading was revised up from 210,000 to 212,000.

The four-week moving average was 214,250, an increase of 2,750 from the previous week's revised average.

The US economy added 275,000 jobs in February, while the unemployment rate rose to 3.9% from 3.7% in January.