US: Stocks edge higher ahead of Friday jobs report

[NEW YORK] Wall Street stocks on Thursday opened slightly higher following a solid report on US jobless claims ahead of Friday's major jobs report for October.

Five minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average stood at 17,510.70, up 26.17 points (0.15 per cent).

The broad-based S&P 500 added 0.74 (0.04 per cent) at 2,024.31 while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index rose 1.56 (0.03 per cent) to 4,622.28.

The Labour Department reported that initial jobless claims fell by 10,000 to 278,000 in the week ending November 1, the lowest level in 14 years.

The good claims report "is another marker that fits with expectations for nonfarm payroll gains to exceed 200,000" when the monthly report is released Friday, said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare.

AFP