US initial jobless claims rise 16,000 last week, more than expected

The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims rose 16,000 last week to 219,000, according to the US Labor Department data released on Thursday.

The figure exceeded market expectations of 210,000 for last week, following the previous week's upwardly revised 203,000.

The four-week moving average was 209,500 -- an increase of 1,500 from the previous week's upwardly revised 208,000.

The US economy added 178,000 jobs in March, much higher than expectations of a 65,00 gain.

The unemployment rate fell to 4.3% in March from 4.4% in February.