Stocks Edged Up in Early Trading

U.S. stocks opened slightly higher on Thursday, as investors awaited an updated look at first-quarter gross domestic product data. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately advanced 73.16 points, or 0.29%, to 25,199.57. The S&P 500 rose 13.97 points, or 0.50%, to 2,796.99. The Nasdaq Composite gained 44.68 points, or 0.59%, to 7,591.99.

Oil futures prices tipped lower, as trader expectations call for a U.S. crude stock draw in this week’s inventory data. West Texas Intermediate crude for July delivery was down 4 cents, or 0.1%, at $58.77 a barrel. July Brent fell 64 cents, or 0.9%, to $68.81 a barrel.

The number of people who applied for jobless benefits rose slightly in late May. Initial jobless claims, a rough way to measure layoffs, rose by 3,000 to 215,000 in the seven days ended May 25, the government said Thursday.