In the week ending December 3, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for unemployment insurance was 258,000, a decrease of 10,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level of 268,000, the Labor Department reported. The four-week moving average was 252,500, an increase of 1,000 from the previous week’s unrevised average of 251,500.

The average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is 4.13%, up from 4.08% one week ago, according to Freddie Mac. The average interest rate for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage is 3.36% up from 3.34%. 

Thursday, the Dow closed 65.19 points (0.33%) higher at 19,614.81, the NASDAQ gained 23.59 points (0.44%) to finish at 5,417.36, and the S&P 500 was up 4.84 points (0.22%) at 2,246.19. The Russell 2000 climbed 21.86 points (1.60%) to 1,386.36, and the Wilshire 5000 increased 67.41 points (0.29%) to 23,553.71.

On the NYSE, 3.1 billion shares traded, with 1.6 advancing issues for every declining issue. On the NASDAQ, 2.9 billion shares changed hands, with a more than 2 to 1 lead for advancers.

The price of the 10-year Treasury note decreased 19/32, bringing its yield up to 2.406%. The price of the 30-year Treasury bond fell 1 15/32, increasing its yield to 3.101%. 

ON THIS DATE: In 1793, “The American Minerva” was published for the first time. It was the first daily newspaper in New York City and was founded by Noah Webster. In 1803, the 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed by the U.S. Congress. With the amendment, electors were directed to vote for a president and for a vice-president rather than for two choices for president. In 1854, Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem, “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” was published in England. In 1884, Levant M. Richardson received a patent for the ball-bearing roller skate. In 1907, Christmas Seals went on sale for the first time, in the Wilmington, Delaware, post office. In 1955, Sugar Ray Robinson knocked out Carl Olson and regained his world middleweight boxing title. In 1960, Sperry Rand Corporation unveiled a new computer known as “Univac 1107.” In 1975, U.S. President Gerald R. Ford signed a $2.3 billion seasonal loan authorization to prevent New York City from having to default. In 1978, the first game of the Women’s Pro Basketball League (WBL) was played between the Chicago Hustle and the Milwaukee Does. In 1990, the first American hostages to be released by Iran began arriving in the U.S. In 2002, United Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after losing $4 billion in the previous two years. It was the sixth largest bankruptcy filing. In 2013, AMR Corporation and US Airways Group completed a merger and were listed on the NASDAQ as American Airlines Group, Inc.

And now it’s time for FRIDAY FILES! 

In Powell, Wyoming, 45 years ago, Mike Peyton and his girlfriend broke up, and in a fit of anger, he threw the class ring she was wearing as far as he could. Bob Thomas, with the aid of his metal detector, found a Powell High School Class of 1968 ring with the initials MP engraved on it. His wife decided to search for the owner and came across the number of Mike’s mother, who returned the ring to Mike last week.

In Lakewood, New Jersey, a 70-year-old man usually picks his own numbers when purchasing lottery tickets. However, when he bought tickets for last Thursday’s Cash4Life drawing, the clerk mistakenly sold him a ticket with computer-generated numbers. Turns out it was a winner. The man and his wife chose the $1 million prize.

In Saugus, Massachusetts, a member of the town’s school committee hit another man with a bag of frozen fish patties during an argument at a veterans’ food drive at the Saugus Senior Center in May. The committee member was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and has been ordered to anger management classes.

In Forest City, North Carolina, a mother took her 9-year-old son to see Santa. As he was telling Santa what he wanted for Christmas, Santa told him he should “lay off the hamburgers and French fries.” According to the local ABC News station, the boy cried. The Santa apologized, and it isn’t known if disciplinary action was taken. Talk about a “Bad Santa.”