U.S. jobless claims climb 25,000 to 471,000 (by Jeffry Bartash)

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - The number of people applying for unemployment benefits shot up 25,000 in the latest week to 471,000, the highest level in a month, according to the Labor Department. The four-week average of initial claims - a better gauge of employment trends than the volatile weekly number - rose by 3,000 to 453,500. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch predicted initial claims would drop to a seasonally adjusted 440,000 from last week's reading of 446,000. A Labor Department official said there were no unusual factors to explain the increase.