The US markets closed lower on Thursday, snapping a three-day win streak as oil futures pulled back from 10-month highs. Market reaction to initial jobless claims was muted as a weekly tally of those seeking first-time unemployment benefits pointed to low levels of layoffs even as other data showed hiring slowed in recent months. Initial US jobless claims fell to the lowest level in six weeks, showing that layoffs remain low despite a nationwide slowdown in hiring. New applications for unemployment benefits declined by 4,000 and stood at 264,000 from a revised 268,000 in the prior week. Claims sit near the lowest level in decades and have barely budged even though the pace of job creation has cratered in the past two months. The economy added just 38,000 jobs in May after a mediocre 123,000 gain in April. The average of new claims over the past month, meanwhile, fell by 7,500 to a seasonally adjusted 269,500. Continuing jobless claims decreased by 77,000 to 2.09 million in the week ended May 28, marking the lowest level since October 2000.
Separately, US wholesalers stocked up in April by the most in almost a year, perhaps a sign they expect sales to increase accelerate in the summer after a weak first quarter. Wholesale inventories jumped 0.6% in April to mark the biggest increase since June 2015. The buildup in inventories suggests companies increased production early in the second quarter, a move that would boost gross domestic product. Perhaps more important, wholesale sales were even stronger. They rose 1% in April - the biggest advance in a year.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down by 19.86 points or 0.11 percent to 17,985.19, Nasdaq lost 16.02 points or 0.32 percent to 4,958.62 while, S&P 500 dropped 3.64 points or 0.17 percent to 2,115.48.
The Indian ADRs closed in red; Dr. Reddy’s Lab was down 1.08%, Infosys was down 1.07%, HDFC Bank was down 0.49%, Tata Motors was down 0.42% and ICICI Bank was down 0.15%.
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