In the week ending July 16, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for unemployment insurance was 253,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level of 254,000, the Labor Department reported. The four-week moving average was 257,750, a decrease of 1,250 from the previous week’s unrevised average of 259,000.

The average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is 3.45%, up from 3.42% one week ago, according to Freddie Mac. The average interest rate for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage is 2.75%, up from 2.72%.

Thursday, the Dow lost 77.80 points (0.42%) to finish at 18,517.23, the NASDAQ closed 16.03 points (0.31%) lower at 5,073.90, and the S&P 500 decreased 7.85 points (0.36%) to 2,165.17. The Russell 2000 was down 5.89 points (0.49%) at 1,203.85, and the Wilshire 5000 fell 91.21 points (0.41%) to 22,424.88.

On the NYSE, 3.1 billion shares changed hands, with 1.4 declining issues for every advancing issue. On the NASDAQ, 2.7 billion shares traded, with a 1.6 to 1 ratio of decliners to advancers.

ON THIS DATE: In 1587, a second English colony was established on Roanoke Island off North Carolina. The colony vanished under mysterious circumstances. In 1937, the U.S. Senate rejected President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s proposal to add more justices to the Supreme Court. In 1943, American forces led by General George S. Patton captured Palermo, Sicily. In 1941, plans for the Pentagon were presented to the House Subcommittee on Appropriations. In 2000, astronomers at the University of Arizona announced they had found a 17th moon orbiting Jupiter. In 2009, the longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century, lasting up to six minutes and 38.8 seconds, occurred over parts of Asia and the Pacific Ocean.

In Lewiston, Maine, a man with an electronic benefits transfer card called the number on his card to get his EBT balance. However, when he dialed he number, he heard a voice that said, “Welcome to America’s hottest talk line.” A Maine Department of Health and Human Services spokesman told the Sun Journal that officials have been aware for months that the phone number on some cards is off by one digit. The department plans to replace the misprinted cards and strengthen its review process to prevent future errors.

In Washington, D.C., a restaurant owner is offering some consolation for those who receive speed camera tickets. According to the Daily Caller, the owner of the restaurant Caribbean Citations in southeast D.C. offers diners with a speed camera ticket a price discount on each menu item. They also get a raffle ticket to enter a chance to have the restaurant owner pay for their entire parking ticket.

In Baltimore, Maryland, police officers were standing on a southeast Baltimore corner when a Toyota RAV-4 hit a cruiser steps away. Police say the driver told police that he was looking down playing “Pokemon Go” on his cellphone when he hit the cruiser. According to the Associated Press, the driver stepped out of his car and showed the officer his phone, saying “That’s what I get for playing this dumb … game.”

In East Greenwich Township, New Jersey, in another example of “Pokemon Go” going wrong, a woman climbed a tree inside a cemetery while playing the game. She found herself stuck there and had to call fire and rescue to get her down.