US jobless claims hit six-month low

WASHINGTON: New claims for US unemployment benefits fell sharply in early August, reaching their lowest weekly level in six months, according to Labour Department data released on Thursday. The new figures suggested labor markets continued to tighten and that the jobless was likely to remain near its current 16-year-low of 4.3 percent. For the week ending August 12, new claims for unemployment insurance fell by 12,000 from the prior week to a seasonally adjusted 232,000, the lowest level since February. —AFP