Nasdaq Jumps 100 Points, US Initial Jobless Claims Decline

U.S. stocks traded higher toward the end of trading, with the Nasdaq Composite gaining around 100 points on Thursday.

The Dow traded up 0.55% to 42,557.62 while the NASDAQ rose 0.52% to 19,492.93. The S&P 500 also rose, gaining, 0.46% to 5,899.14.

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Leading and Lagging Sectors

Utilities shares rose by 1.3% on Thursday.

In trading on Thursday, energy shares fell by 0.8%.

Top Headline

U.S. initial jobless claims declined by 22,000 to 220,000 in the first week of December, compared to market estimates of 230,000.

Equities Trading UP
                       

Equities Trading DOWN

Commodities

In commodity news, oil traded down 1% to $69.89 while gold traded down 1.5% at $2,614.90.

Silver traded down 4% to $29.540 on Thursday, while copper fell 1.8% to $4.0835.

Euro zone

European shares closed lower today. The eurozone's STOXX 600 dipped 1.51%, Germany's DAX fell 1.35% and France's CAC 40 declined 1.22%. Spain's IBEX 35 Index fell 1.53%, while London's FTSE 100 fell 1.14%.

Asia Pacific Markets

Asian markets closed lower on Thursday, with Japan's Nikkei 225 falling 0.69%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index falling 0.56%, China's Shanghai Composite Index declining 0.36% and India's BSE Sensex falling 1.20%.

Economics

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