Jobless claims rise above forecasts
In the past week the number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits rose to numbers slightly above the expected numbers according to government data on Thursday. Initial claims for state unemployment insurance benefits rose 25,000 to a seasonally adjusted 584,000 in the week ended July 25.

AON reports lower 2Q profits, but beat expectations
AON Corp., the largest global insurance broker by market value, reported a second-quarter net income of $149 million, or 52 cents a share, down from $1.1 billion, or $3.71 a share, in the same period last year. Analysts, on average, expected adjusted earnings of 74 cents a share on that basis, according to Reuters Estimates.

Motorola reports unexpected 2Q profit
Motorola Inc. on Thursday reported an unexpected second quarter profit following several quarters of losses and said it expected more improvements later this year. The telecommunication maker posted a profit of $26 million, or 1 cent a share, up from income of $4 million. Results were helped by one-time items including a legal settlement and an investment gain that helped earnings by 2 cents a share.

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