Dow Hits All-Time High as Jobless Claims Dip

A trader works on the trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in Manhattan, New York City, on Dec. 28, 2021. (Andrew Kelly/Reuters)

The blue-chip Dow hit an all-time high shortly after markets opened on Thursday, extending a record-setting run as a drop in weekly jobless claims showed no impact yet on employment from the surge in U.S. coronavirus infections.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 33.85 points, or 0.09 percent, at the open to 36,522.48.

The S&P 500 opened higher by 1.17 points, or 0.02 percent, at 4,794.23, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 7.23 points, or 0.05 percent, to 15,758.98 at the opening bell.