The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 33.33 points, or 0.14 percent, to 23,537.68. The S&P 500 was up 16.19 points, or 0.58 percent, to 2,799.55. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 139.19 points, or 1.66 percent, to 8,532.36.
Six of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors finished higher, with health care up 2 percent, leading the gainers. Energy slipped 3.97 percent, the worst-performing group.
The number of initial jobless claims in the United States totaled 5.25 million in the week ending April 11, as the COVID-19 fallout continues to ripple through the workforce, following staggering figures of over 6 million in the previous two weeks, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Thursday.
The reading was a drop of 1.37 million from a week earlier but exceeded analysts' estimates for 5 million. That also brought the four-week total to about 22 million amid the COVID-19 shock.
Various data released lately showed the COVID-19 pandemic is starting to take a big toll on the world's largest economy.
Earlier this week, the International Monetary Fund forecast that the U.S. economy would contract by 5.9 percent this year.
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