PARIS (Reuters) – The New York Stock Exchange opened without much change on Thursday after recent index records, with investors catching their breath on the eve of the publication of the official monthly report on employment in the United States.
In early trading, the Dow Jones index lost 11.43 points, or 0.03%, to 45,002.61 points. The broader Standard & Poor’s 500 rose by one point, or 0.02%, to 6,087.49 points.
The Nasdaq Composite took 19.47 points, or 0.10%, to 19,754.58 points, after hitting a new peak during the session at 19,767.67.
American stock indices reached new highs on Wednesday against the backdrop of a rally in major technology stocks, notably following the results and forecasts from Salesforce and Marvell Technology.
The new technologies compartment progressed further on Thursday, gaining almost 0.10%.
The appetite for risk is reflected in a decline in the CBOE volatility index, which has fallen to around 13 points.
Before the opening of Wall Street, the Labor Department indicated that unemployment claims increased in the United States last week, to 224,000 compared to 215,000 the previous week.
With this statistic subject to revisions, investors will be closely watching the monthly report on job creation, unemployment rate and wages, due Friday, which could provide indications on economic conditions and the trajectory of rates.
“Our forecast calls for a November jobs report to be ambiguous enough – strong job growth but a slight rise in unemployment, as well as moderate wage gains – to keep a December rate cut as the scenario. basic”, write BNP Paribas economists in a note.
Jerome Powell, Chairman of the US Federal Reserve (Fed), said on Wednesday that the economy appears stronger than it appeared in September, which could prompt the central bank to be more cautious in its next cuts rate.
However, traders currently expect a 74% probability of an easing of the Fed’s monetary policy by 25 basis points at its meeting on December 17 and 18, according to the CME FedWatch barometer.
In terms of values, Southwest Airlines gained 4.53% thanks to Thursday’s increase in its revenue per seat forecasts for the fourth quarter.
Dollar General is stable after outlining a plan to open more stores and remodel its older stores next year.
American Eagle Outfitters fell by 14.43% after lowering its annual sales target on a comparable basis.
Cryptoasset-related groups like Coinbase Global, Mara Holdings and Microstrategy advance from 4.79% to 7.89% as bitcoin surpassed the $100,000 mark for the first time.
(Written by Claude Chendjou)
