US Markets React to Economic Indicators and Earnings Reports

On Thursday, the US stock markets experienced a downturn following the release of higher-than-expected initial jobless claims. This news, coupled with the latest reports on US retail sales and business inventories, which showed increases in December and November respectively, has kept investors on their toes.

Earnings reports from major corporations such as UnitedHealth, Bank of America, and Morgan Stanley were also in the spotlight, influencing market movements. UnitedHealth saw a significant decrease of 6.04% on both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500, while the Nasdaq 100 dropped by 0.69%, with Texas Instruments Inc. falling by 5.13%.

Amidst these fluctuations, the euro remained stable against the dollar, trading at $1.03006 by late afternoon.