Finance

US stocks open higher; S&P nears record

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are opening higher on Wall Street after a drop in unemployment applications encouraged investors that the U.S. economic recovery is continuing.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 37 points to 14,495 shortly after the opening bell Thursday. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was up four at 1,558. It's just six points away from the record high it reached in October 2007.

The Nasdaq composite rose ten points to 3,254. Fewer Americans sought unemployment benefits last week, dropping the average number of weekly applications last month to a five-year low, according to the Labor Department. The four-week average, which is a more stable indicator, fell to 346,750, the lowest since March 2008, several months after the economy went into decline.

Economists had expected weekly jobless claims to rise.

Related Headlines

  • Joseph Dreyer

    US futures mixed before housing data

    U.S. stock futures were mixed Thursday, with the government reported that the number of people applying for unemployment benefits last week barely moved. Dow Jones industrial ... 

  • Stocks gain after unemployment claims fall

    Stocks indexes are heading for a fifth straight gain after the government reported another drop in claims for unemployment benefits, the latest sign that the job market is ... 

  • James Denaro, Jonathan Corpina

    Stocks move higher after unemployment claims ease

    Stock prices are rising as investors were encouraged by a decrease in claims for unemployment benefits last week and positive news from companies reporting earnings. The Labor ... 

  • Shawn Gordon

    Applications for US jobless aid reach 5-year low

    Fewer Americans sought unemployment aid last week, reducing the average number of weekly applications last month to a five-year low. The drop shows that fewer layoffs are ... 

Overnight Averages

Find your future job here