Stocks Opened Slightly Higher after Jobless Claims Data

U.S. stocks open slightly higher on Wednesday, after jobless claims improved more than expected. The Dow Jones Industrial lately added 207.08 points, 0.69%, to 30,222.59. The S&P 500 gained 17.82 points, or 0.69%, to 30,222.59. The Nasdaq Composite was down 9.21 points, or 0.07%, to 12,798.71.

Crude-oil futures were edging slightly higher on Wednesday, with the commodity attempting to recover from a weekly slide. West Texas Intermediate crude for February delivery was up 2 cents, or less than 0.1%, at $47.04 a barrel. February Brent crude traded 8 cents, or 0.2%, higher at $50.24 a barrel.

New weekly jobless claims ticked down more than anticipated last week. New claims totaled 803,000, below the upwardly revised 892,000 from the previous week, according to the Labor Department.

Orders for manufactured goods intended to last three years or more climbed further in November, underscoring the ongoing rebound in the manufacturing sector. Durable goods orders increased 0.9% in November after an upwardly revised 1.8% increase in October, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.