By Jeffry Bartash
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - The number of people filing first-time claims for unemployment benefits jumped by 13,000 in the latest week to 472,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected initial claims to fall to 455,000. The four-week average of initial claims -- a better gauge of employment trends than the volatile weekly number - rose by 3,250 to 466,500, the highest level since early March.
