US open: Positive open following flat jobless claims figures
Wall Street trading began on a positive note on Thursday as investors thumbed through weaker-than-expected inflation data and jobless claims figures that continued to indicate the US labour market was in good health.
At 1545, BST, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq were both up 0.58%, while the Nasdaq had moved ahead 0.54%.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average's early gains of over 100 points has put the blue-chip gauge just shy of breaking even for the year.
Across the pond in the UK, the Bank of England voted 7-2 to keep interest rates unchanged at 0.5%, as expected and downgraded its outlook for GDP growth and inflation.
In US corporate news, streaming company Roku gained 2.55% in early trade after it posted better-than-expected quarterly earnings late on Wednesday.
AMC Entertainment Holdings picked up 4.22% after it posted higher first-quarter earnings and revenues on the strength of films like Black Panther and Jumanji, while Tribune Media was up just 0.24% after blowing past first-quarter estimates.
Yelp, News Corp and Nvidia were scheduled to report after the close of markets.
On the data front, the number of people applying for unemployment benefits in the US throughout early May was flat at 211,000 for the second straight week, keeping initial jobless claims near a 49-year low, the Labor Department said on Thursday.
Elsewhere, the core consumer price index, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, printed at up by 2.1% for April compared to the same period a year ago, the fastest clip since last February but behind the 2.2% forecast by economists.
Meanwhile, the consumer price index rose 0.2% in April, also a touch below forecasts.