Jobless claims rose to their highest level since September 2001, and the four-week moving average of jobless claims also increased.

The four-week moving average of seasonally adjusted initial jobless claims rose 2.8% to 491,000 in the week ended Nov. 8 from the previous week's revised average of 477,750, the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.

However, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims for the week ending Nov. 8 was 516,000, up 6.6% from the previous week's revised figure of 484,000, according to the department.