In the week ending February 28, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for unemployment insurance was 320,000, an increase of 7,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level of 313,000, the Labor Department reported. The four-week moving average was 304,750, an increase of 10,250 from the previous week’s unrevised average of 294,500.

New orders for manufactured goods in January, down six consecutive months, decreased $0.9 billion or 0.2% to $470.0 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced. This followed a 3.5% December decrease. Excluding transportation, new orders decreased 1.8%. Shipments, down five of the last six months, decreased $9.8 billion or 2.0% to $479.1 billion. This followed a 0.9% December decrease.

The average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is 3.75%, down from 3.80% one week ago, according to Freddie Mac. The average interest rate for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage is 3.03%, down from 3.07%.

Positive company earnings news helped nudge major U.S. stock indices higher Thursday. The Dow closed 38.82 points (0.21%) higher at 18,135.72, the NASDAQ climbed 15.67 points (0.32%) to 4,982.81, and the S&P 500 was up 2.51 points (0.12%) at 2,101.04. The Russell 2000 gained 3.58 points (0.29%) to finish at 1,234.31, and the Wilshire 5000 increased 34.32 points (0.15%) to 22,192.84.

On the NYSE, 3.2 billion shares traded, with 1.2 declining issues for every advancing issue. On the NASDAQ, 2.8 billion shares changed hands, with a 1.3 to 1 ratio of decliners to advancers.

The price of the 10-year Treasury note was up 1/32, bringing its yield down to 2.117%. The price of the 30-year Treasury bond fell 6/32, increasing its yield to 2.731%.

ON THIS DATE: In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan discovered Guam. In 1820, the Missouri Compromise was enacted by the U.S. Congress and signed by U.S. President James Monroe. The act admitted Missouri into the Union as a slave state, but prohibited slavery in the rest of the northern Louisiana Purchase territory. In 1899, the Imperial Patent Office in Berlin registered Aspirin, the brand name for acetylsalicylic acid, on behalf of the German pharmaceutical company Friedrich Bayer & Co. In 1960, the United States announced that it would send 3,500 troops to Vietnam. In 1981, Walter Cronkite appeared on his last episode of “CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite.” He had been on the job 19 years.

And now it’s time for FRIDAY FILES!

In Lincoln, Nebraska, a man was pulled over by police who asked to search his car. During the search, an officer found a sour cream container with a label on it that said “Not Weed.” They opened the container and found mari.juana. He was arrested on suspicion of drun.ken driving and cited for having less than an ounce of mari.juana.

In Inverness, UK, a man and his friends were enjoying a Saturday night out at a local pub. A female friend decided to attempt to recreate a scene from the movie Dirty Dancing as she jumped and tried to wrap her legs around the man’s waist. According to The Mirror, the man said he heard a snap and collapsed in agony. He was taken by ambulance to the hospital, underwent a three-hour operation to insert two bolts and a metal rod in his leg and faces being off work for three months. The owner of the bar said: “There was a mix of horseplay and alcohol which didn’t end well.”

In San Antonio, Texas, a father went to visit his son in jail. The 53-year-old walked through a security scanner while his cane went through another security device. An alarm went off, an officer twisted the top off the cane and drew out a sword. The father was arrested on a charge off unlawfully carrying a weapon.

In Trenton, New Jersey, a man visiting an Applebee’s decided to say a prayer before eating his sizzling fajita. According to the Associated Press, the man says he bowed his head, heard a loud sizzle then a pop, and felt a burning sensation on his left eye and his face. He said he panicked and knocked the food on his lap, causing more burns. The man sued the restaurant, claiming the waitress did not warn him the dish was hot. But, both a lower court and appellate court found the food posed an “open and obvious” danger, so the man cannot seek damages.

In Manchester, New Hampshire, Belmont Restaurant’s policy is to give customers a percentage off their bill on their birthday based on their age. World War II veteran Joseph Nelson visited the restaurant on his birthday and ate scrambled eggs and ham, and topped it off with a piece of chocolate cake. At age 101, Nelson actually got a seven cents refund, the local ABC station reported.

Have a great weekend! 

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