(New York) Wall Street was moving close to balance Thursday at the start of the session after opening lower, digesting the figures for new weekly unemployment benefit claims in the United States.
Published on 25 June 2020 at 9 a.m. 41 Updated to 10 h 31
France Media Agency
Towards 10 h 10, its star index, the Dow Jones Industrial Average , grappled 0, 04% at 25 454, 86 points.
NASDAQ, with a strong technological coloring, yielded 0, 31% at 9878, 74 points and the S&P Expanded Index 500 decreased by 0, 13 % at 3046,46 points.
The New York Stock Exchange closed sharply lower on Wednesday, concerned about the exponential increase in coronavirus contaminations in several American federated states and its possible consequences on the economy of the country: the Dow Jones fell by 2, 71% and NASDAQ of 2, 19%.
According to figures released Thursday by the Department of Labor, the United States counted 1, 48 million new jobless claims last week.
Down from the revised number of the previous week, this level is however higher than analysts' expectations, which counted on 1, 25 million new requests.
The number of old requests dropped, dropping below 20 million for the first time in two months.
“The central point of the report is that, even if it is positive to see a decline in allocation requests still in progress, the level of new requests remains alarming,” observes Patrick O’Hare of Briefing.
“The further acceleration of identified cases of coronavirus contamination and questions about the economic reopening will cause concern over another wave of layoffs,” added the expert.
The alarming surge of contaminations in the United States, especially in the South of the country, concerns more and more market players and pushes certain companies to consider suspending their activity again.
The United States is the country most bereaved by the pandemic with 121 979 death.
Among other indicators on Thursday, orders for durable goods in May jumped by 15, 8%, according to data from the Commerce Department, a larger increase than what analysts had predicted.
After the close, the Federal Reserve must publish a report on the health of the American banking sector, which will be closely followed by investors.
On the bond market, the rate at 10 years on American debt fell, to 0, 6642% against 0, 6790 % Wednesday evening.
Apple closes stores
Among the values of the day, Alphabet, the parent company of Google, fell by 0, 31%. Internet giant announced Thursday that it will pay partner press publishers in Germany, Australia and Brazil and offer some users free access to paid news sites
Disney decreased by 1, 58%. The group announced that it was delaying the reopening of its amusement park in California, originally scheduled for 17 July, indicating waiting for instructions from local authorities.
In addition, the company plans to postpone the release of its film Mulan , according to the Wall Street Journal .
Apple, which will close several stores in Houston again due to the increase in the number of contamination in Texas, appreciated by 0, 13%.
