European Investor
24 Sep 2026, 14:26
U.S. Stocks Edge Lower as Jobless Claims Stay Low and Home Sales Beat Expectations
U.S. stocks traded modestly lower on Thursday, with the S&P 500 down 0.18% at 7,692.30, the Dow Jones falling 0.25% to 51,381.27 and the Nasdaq declining 0.53% to 26,792.15.
Fresh economic data pointed to continued resilience in parts of the U.S. economy. Initial jobless claims came in at 197,000, below the 201,000 expected and slightly below the previous 198,000, suggesting layoffs remain relatively contained. Continuing claims were 1.719 million, also below the 1.750 million forecast.
Housing data were also stronger than expected. August building permits were revised to 1.403 million from an earlier 1.394 million estimate, while new home sales reached 684,000, well above the 615,000 consensus and up from 643,000 previously.
The relatively firm labor and housing figures may be limiting expectations for faster Federal Reserve easing, putting some pressure on equities and particularly rate-sensitive technology shares. The Nasdaq was the weakest of the three major indexes in early trading.
U.S. stocks traded modestly lower on Thursday, with the S&P 500 down 0.18% at 7,692.30, the Dow Jones falling 0.25% to 51,381.27 and the Nasdaq declining 0.53% to 26,792.15.
Fresh economic data pointed to continued resilience in parts of the U.S. economy. Initial jobless claims came in at 197,000, below the 201,000 expected and slightly below the previous 198,000, suggesting layoffs remain relatively contained. Continuing claims were 1.719 million, also below the 1.750 million forecast.
Housing data were also stronger than expected. August building permits were revised to 1.403 million from an earlier 1.394 million estimate, while new home sales reached 684,000, well above the 615,000 consensus and up from 643,000 previously.
The relatively firm labor and housing figures may be limiting expectations for faster Federal Reserve easing, putting some pressure on equities and particularly rate-sensitive technology shares. The Nasdaq was the weakest of the three major indexes in early trading.
