popular
Wall St edges up to records after Wal-Mart results
By Chuck Mikolajczak NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. stocks inched higher shortly after the open on Thursday, as the Dow and S&P touched new record intraday highs following earnings from Wal-Mart and data on the labor market. Wal-Mart shares advanced 2.8 percent to $81.42 as one of the biggest boosts to both the Dow and S&P 500 after the retail giant posted a 2.9 percent increase in third-quarter revenue. Weekly initial jobless claims rose 12,000 to 290,000, above expectations for 280,000 claims, but remained near a 14-year low, and stood for a ninth straight week below the 300,000 mark. …
