New York stock exchange opens flat, Nasdaq gains 0.3%

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) - The two major indexes in the New York Stock Exchange opened flat on Thursday, but the technology exchange Nasdaq gained around 0.3%.

The blue-chip Dow Jones was down just six points, or 0.02%, to 33,657 at 9.43 a.m. EDT, while the S&P 500 was up two points, or 0.05%, to 4,269.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq, on the other hand, increased 48 points, or 0.36%, to close at 13,153 at the time.

Initial jobless claims in the US rose 28,000 to reach 261,000 last week, its highest level since October 2021, the Labor Department announced earlier.

The VIX volatility index, also known as the fear index, rose 0.5% to 14.01. The 10-year US Treasury yield, meanwhile, fell 0.9% to 3.753%.

The dollar index shed 0.5% to 103.55, while the euro gained 0.6% to $1.0765 against the greenback.

Precious metals were showing strong gains, with gold jumping 1.4% to $1,967 per ounce and silver soaring 3.1% to $24.16.

Oil prices reversed course and were down around 0.5%, with global benchmark Brent crude at $76.57 per barrel and US benchmark West Texas Intermediate at $72.18