NEW YORK, June 5 (UPI) -- Stock prices on the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Stock Market ended up slightly Thursday, despite a disappointing report on the labor market and weak sales reports from the nation's retailers.
The blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average edged up 2.32 points, or 0.03 percent, to 9,041.30. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index, lost 11.36 points, or 0.69 percent
nike free schuhe günstig, to 1,646.01.
The broader New York Stock Exchange composite index rose 27.08 to 5,585.50, the Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 3.90 points to 990.14, the American Stock Exchange composite index gained 7.62 points to 958.78 and the Wilshire 5000 Index gained 49.34 was down 18.47 to 9,412.99.
Big Board volume improved to an estimated 1.69 billion shares while Nasdaq volume declined to an estimated 2.44 billion shares from 1.22 billion shares.
Analysts said stocks slipped as an increase in jobless claims and weak retail sales took the wind out of a rally that lifted the Dow industrial average above the 9,000 level on Wednesday for the first time since Aug. 22.
In economic news, The Labor Department said initial applications for state unemployment insurance jumped by 16,000 to a five-week high in the week ended May 31, after falling 9,000 a week earlier. Economists had expected claims to decline by 4,000.
The four-week moving average rose 3,000 to 430,500. The data highlight the Federal Reserve's concern about the "exceptionally weak" labor market.
Economists said the increase could be blamed on bad weather in the Northeast, the Memorial Day holiday and other seasonal factors and that the volatile report didn't necessarily indicate a job-market worsening trend.
The Commerce Department said factory orders fell by the largest amount in more than a year in April. Orders fell 2.9 percent. Economists had expected a decline of 1.7 percent, after an increase of 2.2 percent in March. The March figure was slightly amplified by high prices on petroleum products during the war in Iraq.
Meanwhile, retailers released sluggish May sales figures. Wal-Mart Stores said sales at stores open at least a year in the four weeks ending May 30 rose 2.1 percent from a year earlier and forecast growth in June of 2 percent to 4 percent.
J.C. Penney said its same-store department-store sales rose 3.2 percent for the four weeks ended May 24, while Federated Department Stores saw same-store sales fall 0.8 percent and Circuit City said same-store sales were off 10 percent in the first quarter.
Target Corp. reported a 0.7 percent gain in same-store sales while total sales were up 7.5 percent. Sears, Roebuck posted a 1.9 percent decline in same-store sales. But that was better than the 5.3 percent decline that Wall Street expected.
Gap said its same-store sales rose 10 percent. But analysts were expecting a 6.8 percent increase.
Meanwhile, analysts said technology shares lost steam on comments from Microsoft's chief executive about the challenges facing the heavyweight.
Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said the company faces significant challenges, including the state of the economy and the popularity of the Linux operating systems, which consumers can get for free.
U.S. Treasury prices rose. The 10-year note rose 9/32 to 103 3/32. Its yield, which moves in the opposite direction of its price, slipped to 3.26 percent from 3.29 percent late Wednesday.
In Europe, stock prices ended lower in London, Frankfurt and Paris. The London International Stock Exchange's blue-chip FTSE-100 index lost 22.3 points, or 0.5 percent, to 4,104.3. The German DAX index fell 39.62 points, or 1.3 percent
lojas timberland, to 3
nike free günstig,040.4 and the French CAC-40 index fell 29.78 points, or 0.9 percent, to 3,034.07.
Analysts said said there was some disappointment that British interest rates were left on hold, which overshadowed news that the European Central Bank cut rates.
The ECB lowered rates by 50 basis points amid recent economic data showing a struggling economy and cooling inflation across the eurozone. The ECB's cut was its first in three months and leaves interest rates across the eurozone at 2 percent.
Gloomy economic news has been piling up across the region, increasing pressure for a rate cut.
Earlier, the European Union statistics agency Eurostat reported that eurozone growth ground to a halt in the first quarter.
The flat eurozone economy compared with 0.1 percent quarterly growth in the previous quarter. Investment plummeted, and exports fell -- the result of the euro's strength, analysts said. Only a small rise in household consumption kept the region from slipping into economic contraction.
The EU issued a grim outlook as well, forecasting flat GDP in the second quarter and a 0.4 percent rise in the third quarter, citing weak "domestic and foreign demand."
Meanwhile, the Bank of England held its key interest rate steady at 3.75 percent, four months after trimming it to its lowest level for 48 years. The base rate is what the Bank of England charges on loans to commercial lenders and is viewed as a benchmark for loans to companies and individuals. In February, the bank reduced the rate from 4 percent.
In Asia, prices on the Tokyo Stock Exchange ended higher, lifted by strength in export-related issues. The blue-chip Nikkei Stock Average, which eased 6.63 points Wednesday, rose 99.37 points, or 1.2 percent, to 8,657.23 as local investors were encouraged by the Dow Jones industrial average close above 9,000 level on Wednesday for the first time in almost 10 months.
Prices fell on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, pressured by some profit-taking. The key Hang Seng Index fell 23.81 points, or 0.3 percent, to 9,639.01. On Tuesday, the index had risen 25.29 points. The market was closed Wednesday for a public holiday.
Elsewhere, stocks ended higher in Bangkok, Manila, Seoul, Taipei, Singapore and Sydney.
