The number of people filing new claims for unemployment benefits jumped to a four-month high last week, a report said Thursday. The Labor Department said jobless claims rose 28,000 to 385,000, the highest level since November. It was the third consecutive week of increases and surprised economists, who expected jobless claims to decline. The four-week moving average of jobless claims, a less volatile measure considered a better gauge of labor-market trends, rose 11,250 to 354,250.
