By Greg Robb
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - First-time claims for state unemployment benefits rose in the latest week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The number of initial claims in the week ending Oct. 1 rose 6,000 to 401,000. The consensus forecast of Wall Street economists was for claims to rise 19,000 to 410,000. The four-week average fell 4,000 to 414,000. Claims in the previous week were revised to a decrease of 33,000 to 395,000 compared with the initial estimate of a drop of 37,000 to 391,000. A Labor Department official said there were no special factors affecting the weekly data.
