Several companies took advantage of the drop in Treasury bond yields to price new securities yesterday, after a larger-than-expected rise in the weekly unemployment claims data.

Talk that weekly unemployment claims numbers to be released today will show further increases also helped to spur some buying.

Much of the money went for the dole, the weekly unemployment benefits.

The economy softened in August even before Hurricane Katrina struck, and the storm sent weekly first-time unemployment claims to a two-year high, separate reports showed.

His weekly unemployment suddenly started looking like a check from the National Lottery.

The Labor Department announces the latest weekly unemployment claims.

Today dealers will be looking closely at 10-day auto sales figures and weekly initial unemployment claims figures for additional signs of weakness in the economy.

The selloff followed reports showing faster-than-expected economic growth in the first quarter and a drop in the weekly unemployment claims report that was larger than expected.

In yesterday's weekly unemployment claims report, the number of workers applying for state jobless benefits for the first time held steady last week at a seasonally adjusted 347,000.

Also released yesterday were the initial weekly unemployment claims figures, which rose by 1,000, to 365,000, for the week that ended on Sept. 16.