Wall Street opens lower after initial claims data

NEW YORK - US stock opened lower on Thursday following a report showing jobless claims unexpectedly rose in the most recent week, in the latest sign that the labour market continues to struggle.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 78.54 points, or 0.46 per cent, to 16,990.17, the S&P 500 lost 7.33 points, or 0.37 per cent, to 1,988.36 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 18.29 points, or 0.4 per cent, to 4,568.23.