US stock market opens mixed

NEW YORK (AA) – Wall Street opened mixed Thursday as both investors and the stock market have been struggling to find direction.

The Dow Jones gained 21 points to begin the day at 18,376. The S&P 500 was flat with a less than 1 point rise to 2,164, while the Nasdaq lost 1 point to 5,158 at the start of the day.

At the U.S. stock market opening, Germany's DAX index was up 0.45 percent, while the U.K.'s FTSE posted a 1.46 percent increase, and France's CAC 40 saw a 0.24 percent rise.

The positive sentiment created by the rise in European markets was overshadowed by weak U.S. macroeconomic data.

The total number of people who made initial jobless claims for the first time in the American economy rose by 269,000 last week, according to the Department of Labor Thursday. This was above expectations of 265,000.

The stock market ended on a higher note Wednesday, and the Dow broke its losing streak by closing lower over seven consecutive days.