The average interest rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is 3.76%, down from 3.79% one week ago, according to Freddie Mac. The average interest rate on a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage is 2.98%, unchanged from one week ago.

In the week ending October 24, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for unemployment insurance was 260,000, an increase of 1,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level of 259,000, the Department of Labor reported. The four-week moving average was 259,250, a decrease of 4,000 from the previous week’s unrevised average of 263,250. This is the lowest level for this average since December 15, 1973, when it was 256,750.

Thursday, the Dow decreased 23.72 points (0.13) to 17,755.80, the NASDAQ lost 21.42 points (0.42%) to finish at 5,074.27, and the S&P 500 was down 1.28 points (0.06%) at 2,089.07. The Russell 2000 fell 13.07 points (1.11%) to 1,165.63, and the Wilshire 5000 closed 36.69 points (0.17%) lower at 21,735.26.

On the NYSE, 3.2 billion shares traded, with 1.5 declining issues for every advancing issue. On the NASDAQ, 2.7 billion shares changed hands, with a near 2 to 1 lead for decliners.

The price of the 10-year Treasury note decreased 21/32, bringing its yield up to 2.176%. The price of the 30-year Treasury bond fell 1 21/32, increasing its yield to 2.963%.

ON THIS DATE: In 1735, John Adams, the second President of the United States, was born in Braintree, Massachusetts. In 1894, the time clock was patented by Daniel M. Cooper of Rochester, New York. In 1938, Orson Welles’ “The War of the Worlds” aired on CBS radio. The belief that the realistic radio dramatization was a live news event about a Martian invasion caused panic among listeners. In 1953, General George C. Marshall was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1972, U.S. President Richard Nixon approved legislation to increase Social Security spending by $5.3 billion. In 1995, David Bowie, Tom Donahue, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Pete Seeger, Jefferson Airplane, Little Willie John, Pink Floyd, The Shirelles and The Velvet Underground were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. In 2001, in New York City, U.S. President George W. Bush threw out the first pitch at Game 3 of the World Series between the New York Yankees and the Arizona Diamondbacks. In 2001, Michael Jordan returned to the NBA with the Washington Wizards after a 3 1/2 year retirement.

And now it’s time for FRIDAY FILES!

In Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, an SUV and a car collided, sending the car into a house. Occupants of the SUV stepped out of the vehicle to help, but forgot to put it in park. So, the SUV rolled backwards into a tree, which jarred it into drive, according to the Times Colonist. The SUV rolled forward and hit another house.

In Atlanta, Georgia, a man stormed out of a Waffle House, punching the glass and breaking it, because he was angry about his bill. Police soon apprehended him and charged him with felony damage to business property, along with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct. The reason for his rage? According to the Smoking Gun, he was incensed that the price of biscuits had been increased by 50 cents.

In Springfield, Oregon, the fire station received an alert from the Royal Building Apartments automatic fire alarm one morning. KVAL.com reports that someone had tried to remove the plastic from their new mattress with a lighter instead of scissors.

In Kosciusko County, Indiana, a 25-year-old woman was hunting waterfowl in the Tri-County Fish and Wildlife Area when she placed her 12-gauge shotgun on the ground. Her dog stepped on the shotgun, shooting his owner in the foot. And the dog’s name, according to the Indianapolis Star: Trigger.

In Logan, West Virginia, a Logan County assistant prosecuting attorney has been suspended. Secretaries in the office decorated for Halloween, and the decorations included fake spiders. Apparently, the attorney has arachnophobia. According to the local ABC News station, he became irate, pulled out a gun and threatened to shoot all the spiders.

In Nairobi, Kenya, a man was among spectators near the finish line at the Nairobi International Marathon. The 28-year-old jumped into the race as it was finishing and won second place. He was in line to claim around $7,000 in prize money before being caught out and disqualified. Officials said they became suspicious because the man showed no signs of fatigue and was not sweating when he had supposedly just run 42 kilometers (26 miles), according to the Associated Press.

In Dekalb County, Georgia, a man was awaiting a jury’s verdict on whether he was guilty of identity theft charges, when he told his attorney he needed to go to the bathroom. He never returned to the court room. The man had fled, ditched his phone and hid out at a friend’s house. Because of this, it took him days to find out he was found not guilty. “I felt kind of stupid. I really did,” he told the New York Daily News.