US: Wall St falls at open as weekly jobless claims surge

[NEW YORK] Wall Street's main indexes fell at the open on Thursday as a jump in weekly jobless claims suggested a stalling recovery in the labour market, while negotiations over fresh economic stimulus dragged on.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 114.73 points, or 0.38 per cent, to 39,954.08 at the opening bell.

The S&P 500 fell 19.11 points, or 0.52 per cent, to 3,653.71, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 98.80 points, or 0.80 per cent, to 12,240.15.

REUTERS