(Reuters) – The New York Stock Exchange opened lower on Thursday after weekly data on jobless claims once again fueled investors’ concerns about the health of the U.S. economy.
The possibility of an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East also continues to weigh on sentiment.
In early trading, the Dow Jones index lost 112.79 points, or 0.27%, to 42,083.73 points and the broader Standard & Poor’s 500 fell 0.23% to 5,696.16 points.
The Nasdaq Composite lost 0.35%, or 63.36 points, to 17,861.76.
According to data from the US Department of Labor, the number of jobless claims rose to 225,000 for the week ended September 28, while economists polled by Reuters had expected 220,000.
Investors are also worried about the reaction of Israel and the United States to the attack carried out by Iran on Tuesday.
“We will observe some caution due to two factors: the war headlines which continue to impact the stock market and, of course, the unemployment data tomorrow,” said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Spartan Capital Securities, discussing the highly anticipated publication on Friday of the official report on job creation in the United States.
On the stock side, the telehealth company Hims and Hers Health lost 11% after the FDA removed Eli Lilly’s drug from the list of drugs in shortage.
Levi Strauss lost 7% after declaring its intention to sell its Dockers brand and lowering its profit forecast for the fourth quarter.
(Written by Pauline Foret, edited by Blandine Hénault)
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