In the week ending October 3, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for unemployment insurance was 263,000, a decrease of 13,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The four-week moving average was 267,500, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week’s revised average.

The average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is 3.76%, down from 3.85% one week ago, according to Freddie Mac. The average interest rate for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage is 2.99%, down from 3.07%.

Major U.S. stock indices moved higher Thursday after minutes from the Federal Reserve’s latest meeting suggested policymakers were surprisingly unified in their vote against raising interest rates, the Associated Press reports. The Dow increased 138.46 points (0.82%) to 17,050.75, the NASDAQ was up 19.64 points (0.41%) at 4,810.79, and the S&P 500 gained 17.60 points (0.88%) to finish at 2,013.43. The Russell 2000 climbed 10.64 points (0.92%) to 1,163.24, and the Wilshire 5000 closed 178.63 points (0.85%) higher at 21,133.34.

On the NYSE, 3.2 billion shares traded, with a more than 3 to 1 lead for advancers. On the NASDAQ, 2.7 billion shares changed hands, with 1.8 advancing issues for every declining issue.

The price of the 10-year Treasury note was down 10/32, increasing its yield to 2.101%. The price of the 30-year Treasury bond decreased 27/32, bringing its yield up to 2.938%.

ON THIS DATE:  In 1701, the Collegiate School of Connecticut was chartered in New Haven. The name was later changed to Yale. In 1776, a group of Spanish missionaries settled in what is now San Francisco, California. In 1781, the last major battle of the American Revolutionary War took place in Yorktown, Virginia. The American forces, led by George Washington, defeated the British troops under Lord Cornwallis. In 1855, Isaac Singer patented the sewing machine motor. In 1888, the public was admitted to the Washington Monument for the first time. In 1936, the first generator at Boulder Dam began transmitting electricity to Los Angeles, California. The name of the dam was later changed to Hoover Dam. In 1943, “Land of the Lost” debuted on ABC radio.

And now it’s time for FRIDAY FILES!

In Spartanburg, South Carolina, a man called 911 to report his girlfriend would not have s.ex with him. Police responded to the residence, and the girlfriend told them the man had been drinking all day, crawled into bed with her and asked her for s.ex, but she refused because her granddaughter was with her. Police found the man outside the residence drinking, and they arrested him for public into.xication, but did not cite him for misusing the 911 system, according to The Smoking Gun.

In New York, prisoners at the Eastern correctional facility, who take courses taught by faculty from nearby Bard College and have formed a popular debate club, invited Harvard’s debate team—this year’s national debate champions—to a friendly competition. A three-judge panel concluded that the Bard team had raised strong arguments that the Harvard team had failed to consider and declared the team of inmates victorious. According to news reports, the Harvard team directed requests for comment to a post on its Facebook page that commended the prison team for its achievements and complimented the work done by the Bard initiative.

In Apple Valley, California, a man accused of robbing an auto parts store wore an unusual disguise. He stuck a “maxi” feminine hygiene product to his forehead in a position that mostly covered his eyes. However, the disguise didn’t work very well; the police recognized the man, who has an extensive history of run-ins with the law, and he was arrested.

In Houston, Texas, a man was baffled when he received a speeding ticket by certified mail for doing 90 mph in a 60 mph zone on the North Freeway. The man said he wasn’t anywhere near the area at the time. The Houston Police Department launched an internal investigation into the ticket-writing habits of a senior police officer after a local news team began asking questions about his behavior on the road. The officer, on the force since 2002, has been temporarily relieved of duty. The news team discovered the officer wrote several speeding tickets to drivers without ever pulling them over.