Stocks Opened Lower after Claims, GDP Data

U.S. stocks opened lower on Thursday, as better-than-expected readings on employment and economic
growth boosted bets that a stimulus reduction could come this month. The Dow lately lost 47.39
points, or 0.30%, to 15,842.38. The S&P 500 was down 5.86 points, or 0.33%, to 1,786.95. The
Nasdaq Composite fell 6.44 points, or 0.16%, to 4,031.56.

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits tumbled 23,000 last week to 298,000,
nearly a six-year low that shows companies are laying off fewer workers. The Labor Department said
the less volatile four-week moving average declined 10,750 to 322,250.

The US economy grew at a speedy annual rate of 3.6 percent in the third quarter, significantly
higher than initially estimated, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits tumbled 23,000 last week to 298,000,
nearly a six-year low that shows companies are laying off fewer workers. The Labor Department said
the less volatile four-week moving average declined 10,750 to 322,250.

Ford Motor Co and its local partners in China sold a total 99,157 vehicles on a wholesale basis in
November, up 47 percent from a year earlier, the company said on Thursday. That compared with a 55
percent increase in October.