In the week ending March 21, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for unemployment insurance was 282,000, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level of 291,000, the Labor Department reported. The four-week moving average was 297,000, a decrease of 7,750 from the previous week’s unrevised average of 304,750.

The average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is 3.69%, down from 3.78% one week ago, according to Freddie Mac. The average interest rate for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage is 2.97%, down from 3.06%.

Thursday, the Dow closed 40.31 points (0.23%) lower at 17,678.23, the NASDAQ lost 13.16 points (0.27%) to finish at 4,863.36, and the S&P 500 slipped 4.90 points (0.24%) to 2,056.15. The Russell 2000 decreased by 1.87 (0.15%) to 1,231.99, and the Wilshire 5000 was down 49.26 points (0.23%) at 21,782.91.

On the NYSE, 3.2 billion shares traded, with 1.5 declining issues for every advancing issue. On the NASDAQ, 2.8 billion shares changed hands, with a 1.2 to 1 ratio of decliners to advancers.

The price of the 10-year Treasury note decreased 18/32, bringing its yield up to 1.994%. The price of the 30-year Treasury bond fell 1 16/32, increasing its yield to 2.584%.

ON THIS DATE: In 1794, Congress authorized the creation of the U.S. Navy. In 1866, President Andrew Johnson vetoed the civil rights bill, which later became the 14th amendment. In 1917, the Seattle Metropolitans, of the Pacific Coast League of Canada, defeated the Montreal Canadiens and became the first U.S. hockey team to win the Stanley Cup.  In 1939, the University of Oregon defeated Ohio State University 46–33 to win the first-ever NCAA men’s basketball tournament. In 1973, the actor Marlon Brando declined the Academy Award for Best Actor for his career-reviving performance in “The Godfather.” The Native American actress Sacheen Littlefeather attended the ceremony in Brando’s place, stating that the actor “very regretfully” could not accept the award, as he was protesting Hollywood’s portrayal of Native Americans in film. In 1985, Billy Dee Williams received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

And now it’s time for FRIDAY FILES!

In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a father and his 18-year-old son began arguing about the lack of orange juice at their home. Reuters reports that the argument escalated to where the son damaged the home and broke a porcelain vase. The father grabbed a handgun and chased his son out the front door. He fired several shots, striking the teenager once in his but.tocks. The son was taken to a hospital with injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening. The father has been charged with attempted mans.laughter and ill.egal use of a weap.on.

In Fort Worth, Texas, Elizabeth Sullivan recently celebrated her 104th birthday, and received a gift basket from Larry Young, the CEO of the Dr. Pepper/Snapple Group. WSB-TV in Atlanta reports that Sullivan became a Dr. Pepper aficionado while in her 60s and drinks three of the soft drinks per day. “Every doctor that sees me says they’ll kill you, but they die and I don’t. So there must be a mistake somewhere,” Sullivan said.

In Akron, Ohio, a 50-year-old man was impersonating a police officer when he shined a spotlight into a motorist’s car and swerved in front of it to pull the motorist over. However, the motorist was actually a detective, so the man was arrested for impersonating an officer. Contents of the man’s vehicle included a g.un and law enforcement parap.hernalia. The man was also charged with mishandling a fire.arm and obstructing official business.

In West Sunbury, Pennsylvania, a man decided to steal some gasoline from a “friend’s” garage for another friend’s car. However, as he jimmied open the door to the garage, the homeowner heard the noise and came to investigate. The Associated Press reports that the man ran, but left behind his personal credit card he was using to open the door, making it easy for police to find and arrest him.

In Tallahassee, Florida, a 46-year-old man took a taxi to a bank, and when he got out of the cab, he told the driver he would take care of him when he got out of the bank. Once inside the bank, the man approached the branch manager and demanded $100,000, telling the manager he had a g.un and exp.losives. Tellers at the bank alerted police, who were told by the cab driver that the man was dr.unk and had not paid his $25.50 fare. According to the Tallahassee Democrat, police reported that the man was sitting in the manager’s office appearing “very into.xicated and spaced out.” The man did not cooperate with officers and was tased before being arrested for robbery. The cab driver said he wanted to press charged for the unpaid fare, so they added a charge of petty theft.

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