In the week ending July 25, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for unemployment insurance was 267,000, an increase of 12,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level of 255,000, the Labor Department reported. The four-week moving average was 274,750, a decrease of 3,750 from the previous week’s unrevised average of 278,500.

The average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is 3.98%, down from 4.04% one week ago, according to Freddie Mac. The average interest rate for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage is 3.17%, down from 3.21%.

Major U.S. stock indices ended mostly flat Thursday. The Dow slipped 5.41 points (0.03%) to 17,745.98, the NASDAQ closed 17.05 points (0.33%) higher at 5,128.78, and the S&P 500 was virtually unchanged at 2,108.63. The Russell 2000 increased 2.47 points (0.20%) to 1,232.07, and the Wilshire 5000 was up 13.47 points (0.06%) at 22,205.86.

On the NYSE, 3.2 billion shares changed hands, with a nearly even split between advancers and decliners. On the NASDAQ, 2.8 billion shares traded, with a slight lead for advancers.

The 10-year Treasury note increased 7/32, bringing its yield down to 2.261%. The price of the 30-year Treasury bond climbed 1 3/32, decreasing its yield to 2.944%.

ON THIS DATE: In 1875, former President Andrew Johnson, who had become president upon the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865, died of a stroke while visiting his daughter in Tennessee. In 1928, MGM’s Leo the lion roared for the first time for MGM’s first talking picture, “White Shadows on the South Seas.”  In 1975, James Riddle Hoffa, one of the most influential American labor leaders of the 20th century, disappeared in Detroit, Michigan, never to be heard from again. In 1989, the Game Boy handheld video game device was released in the U.S.

And now it’s time for FRIDAY FILES!

In Hernando County, Florida, a driver refused to move his SUV from the sidewalk right outside the main entry and exit door at the county jail. After multiple refusals, he backed up into a bench and then accelerated forward, driving through the jail’s lawn, according to the local ABC News station. He then turned back toward the jail and deputies said he took aim with his vehicle at a deputy’s patrol car. The man turned abruptly, drove in a circle and struck a flagpole. He was ordered from the vehicle and taken into custody.

On I-65 in Indiana, a state trooper pulled over a man for speeding. The man was traveling with his daughter who has Down Syndrome. The trooper decided to make the daughter a state trooper for five minutes and asked her whether she wanted to issue her dad a warning or a ticket. The girl chose a ticket. However, the good-hearted trooper only issued a warning. The Indiana State Police responded to the man’s post about the incident that they are glad the daughter is on their side.