Investing.com - U.S. stocks opened mixed on Thursday, after the release of disappointing U.S. data as investors awaited Thursday’s Senate hearing to confirm Janet Yellen as the first chairwoman of the Federal Reserve following dovish remarks on Wednesday.
During early U.S. trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average eased 0.02%, the S&P 500 index inched up 0.05%, while the Nasdaq Composite index fell 0.27%.
In a prepared statement released late Wednesday, Yellen said the job market and economy are "performing far short of their potential" and there is "more work to do" on recovery.
The Labor Department on Thursday said the number of individuals filing for initial jobless benefits last week declined by 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 339,000. Analysts had expected U.S. jobless claims to fall by 11,000.
A separate report showed that the U.S. trade deficit widened to a seasonally adjusted USD41.8 billion in September from a deficit of USD38.7 billion in August, whose figure was revised from a previously reported deficit of USD38.8 billion.
Analysts had expected the U.S. trade deficit to widen to USD39 billion in September.
Tesla Motors saw shares climb 0.41% after the electric car maker said three workers were injured at its assembly plant in Fremont, California, adding to a string of problems including fires in its Model S sedans and results that disappointed some investors.
On Wednesday, company co-founder Elon Musk said it would not recall its Model S.
Adding to gains, data-storage company NetApp rallied 1.24% after saying late Wednesday that second-quarter adjusted earnings rose to 66 cents a share, more than the average analyst estimate of 63 cents a share, sending shares up 0.99% pre-market.
On the downside, Cisco dove 13.11% after the maker of computer-networking equipment said profit excluding will be 45 cents to 47 cents a share in the fiscal second quarter, compared to analysts’ average projection for profit of 52 cents.
Elsewhere, Wal-Mart Stores slid 0.52% and Kohl's plummeted 7.33% after both retailers trimmed their outlooks.
Other stocks likely to be in focus included Agilent, Applied Materials and Nordstrom, scheduled to report quarterly results later in the day.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were higher. The EURO STOXX 50 climbed 0.57%, France’s CAC 40 gained 0.67%, Germany's DAX advanced 0.70%, while Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.35%.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index jumped 0.82%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index surged 2.12%.
During early U.S. trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average eased 0.02%, the S&P 500 index inched up 0.05%, while the Nasdaq Composite index fell 0.27%.
In a prepared statement released late Wednesday, Yellen said the job market and economy are "performing far short of their potential" and there is "more work to do" on recovery.
The Labor Department on Thursday said the number of individuals filing for initial jobless benefits last week declined by 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 339,000. Analysts had expected U.S. jobless claims to fall by 11,000.
A separate report showed that the U.S. trade deficit widened to a seasonally adjusted USD41.8 billion in September from a deficit of USD38.7 billion in August, whose figure was revised from a previously reported deficit of USD38.8 billion.
Analysts had expected the U.S. trade deficit to widen to USD39 billion in September.
Tesla Motors saw shares climb 0.41% after the electric car maker said three workers were injured at its assembly plant in Fremont, California, adding to a string of problems including fires in its Model S sedans and results that disappointed some investors.
On Wednesday, company co-founder Elon Musk said it would not recall its Model S.
Adding to gains, data-storage company NetApp rallied 1.24% after saying late Wednesday that second-quarter adjusted earnings rose to 66 cents a share, more than the average analyst estimate of 63 cents a share, sending shares up 0.99% pre-market.
On the downside, Cisco dove 13.11% after the maker of computer-networking equipment said profit excluding will be 45 cents to 47 cents a share in the fiscal second quarter, compared to analysts’ average projection for profit of 52 cents.
Elsewhere, Wal-Mart Stores slid 0.52% and Kohl's plummeted 7.33% after both retailers trimmed their outlooks.
Other stocks likely to be in focus included Agilent, Applied Materials and Nordstrom, scheduled to report quarterly results later in the day.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were higher. The EURO STOXX 50 climbed 0.57%, France’s CAC 40 gained 0.67%, Germany's DAX advanced 0.70%, while Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.35%.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index jumped 0.82%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index surged 2.12%.