US initial jobless claims fall by 5,000

ANKARA

The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims last week fell 5,000 to 166,000, the US Labor Department announced on Thursday.

The figure came much below than market forecast of 200,000.

The previous week's level was revised down by 31,000 from 202,000 to 171,000, the department said in a statement.

The four-week moving average was 170,000, a decrease of 8,000 from the previous week's revised average, it added.

The US economy generated 431,000 jobs in March while the unemployment rate fell to 3.6%, according to the latest figures.