Analysts expect the national unemployment rate to increase slightly for August. Thomson/IFR economist Jeoff Hall expects private sector jobs to fall by 95,000 but government jobs to increase by 30,000. That net loss of jobs is likely to lead to an uptick in the unemployment rate, Hall says. He estimates the rate for August will be 5.8 percent, which is the consensus among analysts. On Thursday, the Labor Department reported that weekly jobless claims rose last week by 15,000 to a seasonally adjusted 444,000.

ELECTRONIC ARTS RELEASES 'SPORE'

Electronic Arts launches its "Spore" computer game in parts of Europe and South America today. North American customers have to wait until Sunday.

"Spore," which allows players to create life forms from scratch and watch them develop and evolve, could provide a needed boost to Electronic Arts, which posted a loss in its last quarter.

The game was designed by Will Wright, who created "The Sims," the world's top-selling PC game. "The Sims" allows gamers to take control of virtual people and run their lives.

Oppenheimer & Co. analyst Shawn Milne expects Electronic Arts to sell 1.5 million to 2 million copies of "Spore" in its fiscal second quarter.

SEMICONDUCTOR'S STOCK SHOULD RISE

Analysts expect National Semiconductor's fiscal first-quarter profit to rise from a year ago but remain flat from the prior quarter at 34 cents per share. Deutsche Bank forecasts fiscal first-quarter earnings of 33 cents per share on revenue of $468 million. Even in a challenging environment, analyst say, National Semiconductor's inventory controls and margin expansion should lift its stock price.

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