US weekly jobless claims total 293,000 vs. 300,000 estimate; Aug durable goods down 18.2%

Please check back for further updates.. Economists in a consensus survey expected weekly claims for state unemployment benefits to fall by 15,000 to 300,000. Meanwhile, August durable goods orders were expected to plunge by 18 percent, against the prior month's 22.6 percent gain. In early trading prior to the report, stock futures were modestly weaker.