Economic Buzz: US jobless claims fall as labor market stays strong

The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims dropped by 11,000 last week to 207,000, according to data released Thursday by the US Labor Department.

Markets had expected claims to fall to 213,000 from the previous week?s revised figure of 218,000.

The four-week moving average of claims rose slightly by 500 to 209,750, compared to the previous week?s revised 209,250.

Meanwhile, the US economy added 178,000 jobs in March, significantly higher than expectations of a 65,000 increase.

The unemployment rate also improved, falling to 4.3% in March from 4.4% in February.

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