Stocks Opened Slightly Higher, Boeing Capped Dow’s Advance

U.S. stocks opened slightly higher on Thursday, amid jitters over the outcome of a meeting between President Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping later this week, while the Dow’s advance was muted amid reports of a new flaw with Boeing Co.’s troubled 737 MAX jet fleet. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately rose 10.51 points, or 0.04%, to 26,547.33. The S&P 500 traded up 11.67 points, or 0.40%, to 2,925.45. The Nasdaq Composite gained 43.65 points, or 0.55%, to 7,953.62.

Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to present U.S. President Donald Trump with a set of terms the United States should meet before Beijing is ready to settle their trade dispute, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

CNN reported that new issues with the Boeing 737 fleet’s computer system had emerged which could delay the aircraft’s’ return to the air after a world-wide grounding back in March.

Filings for U.S. unemployment benefits increased by more than expected to a seven-week high, a possible sign of strains in the labor market that could factor in to the Federal Reserve’s debate over whether to cut interest rates next month. Jobless claims rose by 10,000 to 227,000 in the week ended June 22, according to Labor Department figures released Thursday.