NEW YORK, May 28 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks opened mixed on Thursday as investors pored through a slew of economic data.
Shortly after the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 88.95 points, or 0.35 percent, to 25,637.22. The S&P 500 was up 5 points, or 0.16 percent, to 3,041.13. The Nasdaq Composite Index decreased 11.47 points, or 0.12 percent, to 9,400.89.
Of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors, both energy and communication services shed about 0.7 percent in morning trading, leading the laggards. Utilities and health care both climbed more than 1 percent, outpacing the rest.
The moves came after data showed more than 2.1 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cripple the economy.
In the week ending May 23, U.S. initial claims registered 2.123 million, the Department of Labor said Thursday. The previous week's level was revised higher to 2.446 million. Over the past 10 weeks, more than 40 million Americans have filed for unemployment insurance.
U.S. economic activity in the first quarter contracted at an annual rate of 5.0 percent in second estimate, 0.2 percentage point lower than advance estimate, the U.S. Commerce Department reported Thursday. Enditem
