US Jobless claims rise more than expected

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits was larger-than-expected last week, with 227,000 people filing for jobless benefits versus the 220,000 Thomson Reuters consensus estimate.

Applications for jobless benefits were also higher than the prior week, when 218,000 people filed.

The 4-week average jobless claims applicants rose to 220,000, up slightly from the 221,000 in the prior week.

Continued claims fell to 1.705 million, from 1.726 million in the prior week, slighltly less than the 1.725 million consensus estimate.

The U.S. uninsured employment rate was unchanged at 1.2%.