In the week ending August 24, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for unemployment insurance was 215,000, an increase of 4,000 from the previous week’s revised level of 211,000, the Labor Department reported. The four-week moving average was 214,500, a decrease of 500 from the previous week’s revised average of 215,000.

The average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is 3.58%, up from 3.55% one week ago, according to Freddie Mac. The average interest rate for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage is 3.06%, up from 3.03%.

Thursday, the Dow gained 326.15 points (1.25%) to finish at 26,362.25, the NASDAQ closed 116.51 points (1.48%) higher at 7,973.39, and the S&P 500 increased 36.64 points (1.27%) to 2,924.58. The Russell 2000 was up 24.01 points (1.63%) at 1,496.72, and the Wilshire 5000 climbed 387.42 points (1.31%) to 29,911.04.

The price of the 10-year Treasury note was down 2/32, increasing its yield to 1.499%. The price of the 30-year Treasury bond decreased 29/32, bringing its yield up to 1.964%.

ON THIS DATE: In 1645, American Indians and the Dutch made a peace treaty at New Amsterdam (later known as New York). In 1862, the Confederates defeated Union forces at the second Battle of Bull Run in Manassas, Virginia. In 1945, General Douglas MacArthur set up Allied occupation headquarters in Japan. In 1960, a partial blockade was imposed on West Berlin by East Germany. In 1965, Thurgood Marshall was confirmed by the Senate as a Supreme Court justice. Marshall was the first black justice to sit on the Supreme Court. In 1983, the space shuttle Challenger blasted off with Guion S. Bluford Jr. aboard. He was the first black American to travel in space. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan, and several others, were inducted into the Sportscasters Hall of Fame. In 1994, the largest U.S. defense contractor was created when the Lockheed and Martin Marietta corporations agreed to a merger. In 1996, an expedition to raise part of the Titanic failed when the nylon lines being used to raise part of the hull snapped. In 2002, Conoco Inc. and Phillips Petroleum merged to create ConocoPhillips. The new company was the third largest integrated energy company and the second largest refining company in the U.S.

And now it’s time for FRIDAY FILES!

In Kansas City, Missouri, a woman woke up feeling discomfort in her ear. She told local station WDAF-TV she went to her doctor to find out what was wrong. A medical assistant looked into her ear and thought there was an insect in it. It turns out it was a brown recluse spider, a species with a bite that can cause stinging pain and severe lesions that require medical attention. Fortunately, a doctor was able to remove it, and it did not bite the woman. However, she says she now puts cotton balls in her ears at night.

In Hudson, Florida, a man called 911, and when police arrived on to his residence, they found a machete in the yard that reportedly belonged to his friend, according to local station WTVT. The friend reportedly took a BM in the man’s toilet and didn’t appreciate it when the resident had to remind him to flush it. The “friend” threatened to chop the man with a machete. Pasco County sheriff’s deputies arrested the suspect on a felony aggravated assault charge.

In Rochester, New Hampshire, a woman is fighting the state Department of Motor Vehicles over her 15-year-old vanity license plate showing a common parental phrase. Seacoastonline.com reports the woman has been asked to surrender the plate, which reads “PB4WEGO.” The state says phrases related to excretory acts aren’t permitted.

Have a great holiday weekend! NewsDash will be back in your Inbox Tuesday.