Stocks Opened Mixed after Jobless Claims Data

U.S. stocks opened mixed on Thursday, after data showed jobless claims declined much more rapidly than expected. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately fell 93.88 points, or 0.34%, to 27,882.96. The S&P 500 was down 6.45 points, or 0.19%, to 3,373.90. The Nasdaq Composite rose 30.13 points, or 0.27%, to 11,042.37.

The number of individuals filing new unemployment insurance claims last week fell below the 1 million for the first time since March. New applications for unemployment benefits declined to 963,000 from a prior week of 1.19 million at the end of July, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Oil prices slipped lower early Thursday after the International Energy Agency further cut its forecast for global crude demand in 2020. West Texas Intermediate crude for September delivery was off 8 cents, or 0.2%, at $42.59 a barrel. October Brent crude shed 12 cents, or 0.3%, at $45.31 a barrel.