Sales of new single‐family houses in January were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 607,000, according to estimates released jointly by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is 6.9% below the revised December rate of 652,000 and is 4.1% below the January 2018 estimate of 633,000.

In the week ending March 9, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for unemployment insurance was 229,000, an increase of 6,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level of 223,000, the Labor Department reported. The four-week moving average was 223,750, a decrease of 2,500 from the previous week’s unrevised average of 226,250.

The average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is 4.31%, down from 4.41% one week ago, according to Freddie Mac. The average interest rate for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage is 3.76%, down from 3.83%.

Thursday, the Dow was up 7.05 points (0.03%) at 25,709.94, the NASDAQ decreased 12.50 points (0.16%) to 7,630.91, and the S&P 500 was down 2.44 points (0.09%) at 2,808.48. The Russell 2000 lost 6.25 points (0.40%) to finish at 1,549.63, and the Wilshire 5000 closed 31.12 points (0.11%) lower at 29,064.46.

The price of the 10-year Treasury note was down 2/32, increasing its yield to 2.627%. The price of the 30-year Treasury bond decreased 16/32, bringing its yield up to 3.044%.

ON THIS DATE: In 44 BC, Roman Emperor Julius Caesar was assassinated by high ranking Roman Senators. The day is known as the “Ides of March.” In 1781, during the American Revolution, the Battle of Guilford Courthouse took place in North Carolina. British General Cornwallis’ 1,900 soldiers defeated an American force of 4,400. In 1820, Maine was admitted as the 23rd state of the Union. In 1875, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York, John McCloskey, was named the first American cardinal. In 1892, Jesse W. Reno patented the Reno Inclined Elevator. It was the first escalator. In 1913, President Woodrow Wilson held the first open presidential news conference. In 1937, in Chicago, the first blood bank to preserve blood for transfusion by refrigeration was established at the Cook County Hospital. In 1955, the U.S. Air Force unveiled a self-guided missile. In 1989, the Department of Veteran’s Affairs became the 14th Department in the President’s Cabinet. In 1994, President Bill Clinton extended the moratorium on nuclear testing until September of 1995.

And now it’s time for FRIDAY FILES!

Between Jeddeh, Saudi Arabia, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a woman on a flight realized she had forgotten something—her baby daughter at the boarding area of the airport. Gulf News reported that the mother informed the flight crew that her baby was at King Abdul Aziz International Airport, and the pilot had to request permission to return.

In Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, a woman rang emergency dispatchers and claimed that her husband had been killed, sending police and first responders rushing to the scene. When they got there, they found the woman just wanted someone to remove a car blocking her garage; she thought calling in a murder would get police there faster. The woman, who was visibly drunk, attempted to get into her car before officers took away her keys.

In Butler County, Pennsylvania, police pulled over a suspected drunken driver whose blood-alcohol level registered .194. In a bit of irony, the man, Daniel Sober, was not sober.

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!