US: Wall St opens lower as jobless claims rise

[NEW YORK] Wall Street opened lower on Thursday as a surprise increase in weekly jobless claims signaled that a labour market recovery was cooling and that more fiscal support would be necessary to avoid another round of mass layoffs and furloughs.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 47.04 points, or 0.18 per cent, at the open to 26,716.09. The S&P 500 opened lower by 10.78 points, or 0.33 per cent, at 3,226.14, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 81.97 points, or 0.77%, to 10,551.02 at the opening bell.

REUTERS