In the week ending October 21, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for unemployment insurance was 233,000, an increase of 10,000 from the previous week’s revised level of 223,000, the Labor Department reported. The four-week moving average was 239,500, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week’s revised average of 248,500.

The average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is 3.94%, up from 3.88% one week ago, according to Freddie Mac. The average interest rate for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage is 3.25%, up from 3.19%.

Thursday, the Dow gained 71.40 points (0.31%) to finish at 23,400.86, the NASDAQ was down 7.12 points (0.11%) at 6,556.77, and the S&P 500 was up 3.26 points (0.13%) at 2,560.41. The Russell 2000 increased 3.98 points (0.27%) to 1,497.45, and the Wilshire 5000 closed 44.75 points (0.17%) higher at 26,598.63.

The price of the 10-year Treasury note was down 7/32, increasing its yield to 2.459%. The price of the 30-year Treasury bond decreased 17/32, bringing its yield up to 2.971%.

ON THIS DATE: In 1858, Roland Macy opened Macy’s Department Store in New York City. It was Macy’s eighth business adventure, the other seven failed. In 1904, the New York subway system officially opened. It was the first rapid-transit subway system in America. In 1925, Fred Waller received a patent for water skis. In 1927, the first newsreel featuring sound was released in New York. In 1938, Du Pont announced “nylon” as the name for its new synthetic yarn. In 1954, the first Walt Disney television show “Disneyland” premiered on ABC. In 1978, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin were named winners of the Nobel Peace Prize for their progress toward achieving a Middle East accord. In 2002, the Anaheim Angels won their first World Series. They beat the San Francisco Giants in Game 7 of the series. In 2002, Emmitt Smith (Dallas Cowboys) became the all-time leading rusher in the NFL when he extended his career yardage to 16,743. He achieved the record in his 193rd game. He also scored his 150th career touchdown. In 2003, Bank of America Corp. announced it had agreed to buy FleetBoston Financial Corp. The deal created the second largest banking company in the U.S.

And now it’s time for FRIDAY FILES!

In Montreal, Canada, a man driving his car was singing along to the 1990s dance hit “Gonna Make You Sweat.” Then, he got pulled over by police. Huffington Post Canada reports officers came up to look into the man’s car and asked him what he was doing. After he replied, “Nothing,” one officer asked him, “Did you scream loudly?” the Canadian Broadcasting Company reported. He told the officers, “No, I was just listening to my favorite song.” After police checked the man’s license and registration, they came back with a traffic ticket fining him $149 Canadian dollars (or $117) for screaming in his car.

In Venice, Italy, a 25-year-old runner unexpectedly won a marathon. Turns out, he won the Huawei Venice Marathon after a motorcycle leading the six runners ahead of him took a wrong turn, The Guardian reported. Video shows the leaders running for several hundred meters in the wrong direction before they realize the error and have to turn back. The incident occurred about 16 miles into the 26.2-mile race.

In Henrietta, New York, a garbage truck rolled away from a gas station, traveled across the street and crashed into a retail store. WHAM-TV reports that gas station workers say the truck driver parked there to use the bathroom and the truck had rolled away by the time he returned. The irony: the store’s name is “A Beautiful Mess.”

In Salt Lake City, Utah, police were looking for a man wanted in a string of burglaries, spotted him and followed his car to a church. The man got out and ran into the church. A SWAT team was called and held a standoff, waiting for the suspect. According to the Associated Press, more than six hours later, police received a call from the man asking to be rescued because he accidentally locked himself into the church’s boiler room.

In Anchorage, Alaska, the airport sees different hazards than others across the country. Recently, workers cleaning up a runway found a 450-pound seal lounging on it. The seal was removed by sled by North Slope Animal Control. The workers have seen birds, caribou, polar bears and musk ox on the runway, but the seal sighting was a first, the communications director for the state Department of Transportation told the Associated Press.

Happy Weekend!