US initial jobless claims rise 5,000 last week, as expected

ISTANBUL

The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims rose 5,000 last week to 210,000, according to the US Labor Department data released Thursday.

The figure matched market expectations for last week, following the previous week's 205,000.

The four-week moving average was 210,500 -- a decrease of 250 from the previous week's 210,750.

The US economy lost 92,000 jobs in February, much worse than expectations of a 59,00 gain.

The unemployment rate fell to 4.4% from 4.3% in January.