US initial jobless claims unexpectedly rise 4,000 last week

The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims rose 4,000 last week to 229,000, according to US Labor Department data released on Thursday.

The markets had expected the claims to fall to 220,000 for last week, following the previous week's unrevised 225,000.

The four-week moving average was 219,000, up by 4,250 from the previous week's unrevised 214,750.

The US economy added 115,000 jobs in April, a figure much higher than expectations of a 65,000 gain.

The unemployment rate was at 4.3% in April, unchanged from March.