In the week ending December 13, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for unemployment insurance was 289,000, a decrease of 6,000 from the previous week’s revised level, the Labor Department reported. The four-week moving average was 298,750, a decrease of 750 from the previous week’s revised average.

The average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is 3.80%, down from 3.93% one week ago, according to Freddie Mac. The average interest rate for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage is 3.09%, down from 3.20%.

Good news about the economy continued to boost major U.S. stock indices. The Dow soared 421.28 points (2.43%) to 17,778.15, the NASDAQ climbed 104.08 points (2.24%) to 4,748.40, and the S&P 500 grew by 48.34 points (2.40%) to reach 2,061.23. The Russell 2000 increased 17.33 points (1.47%) to 1,192.16, and the Wilshire 5000 gained 474.72 points (2.24%) to finish at 21,633.30.

On the NYSE, 3.3 billion shares changed hands, with advancing issues outnumbering declining issues more than 4 to 1. On the NASDAQ, 2.8 billion shares traded, with a more than 3 to 1 lead for advancers.

The price of the 10-year Treasury note decreased 20/32, bringing its yield up to 2.208%. The price of the 30-year Treasury bond fell 1 28/32, increasing its yield to 2.820%.

ON THIS DATE: In 1732, Benjamin Franklin of Philadelphia first published Poor Richard’s Almanack. In 1917, the National Hockey League (NHL) opened its first season. In 1918, Robert Ripley began his “Believe It or Not” column in “The New York Globe.” In 1972, the Apollo lunar-landing program ended when the last three astronauts to travel to the moon splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean. Apollo 17 had lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, 10 days before. In 1998, after nearly 14 hours of debate, the House of Representatives approved two articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton, charging him with lying under oath to a federal grand jury and obstructing justice. In 2008, U.S. President George W. Bush signed a $17.4 billion rescue package of loans for ailing automobile makers General Motors and Chrysler.

And now it’s time for FRIDAY FILES!

In Omaha, Nebraska, police said an officer on patrol spotted a vehicle straddling the center line with four flat tires and a deployed airbag, the World-Herald reports. The officer attempted to stop the driver, but the motorist refused to pull over, and a low-speed chase ensued. The driver was finally stopped, but police had to use a Taser on him to take him into custody. He was taken to a hospital, where a preliminary test revealed a blood-alcohol level of .253. It was his fourth DUI arrest.

In Alexandra, Otago, New Zealand, a series of events led a couple to believe they were stuck in their newly-purchased Mazda3 hatchback with no way of escape: the remote keyless entry fob was outside the car, and the car manual was left in the house. According to The News Wheel, rather than thinking to unlock the vehicle the traditional way, the couple attempted to break through the glass with a car jack (which failed due to their weakened state) and honked the horn to try to get someone’s attention (which failed, because it was Guy Fawkes Day and celebratory fireworks were too loud). The couple was discovered by neighbors at 7:45 the next morning, with the wife unconscious and the husband struggling to breathe. The couple blamed much of it on their confusion about how keyless entry works, pointing to their dealership salesman who supposedly told them the car wouldn’t work without the transponder. The husband said he “kicked himself” for not realizing how easy it was to get out. “I had this mind-set that I did not have the transponder [so I could not get out].”

In Brisbane, Australia, a teenager called police at about 1.30 a.m. one morning after hearing loud sounds coming from his kitchen and thinking it was an intruder. However, when the police arrived, there was no intruder found; it was a large mudcrab that was trying to get out of the kitchen and was banging into walls.

In Vladivostok, Russia, a cat was spotted in the display window of a fish store at the airport there. According to UPI, the cat made a meal of squid, flounder and dry fish. The store said its losses from the cat’s unsanctioned feast totaled about $1,000. An airport representative said officials have not determined how the cat was able to get into the fish store.

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