Stock Markets Fall Sharply Thursday Morning as Weak Earnings Hit Bed Bath & Beyond, Walgreens Hard
The stock market has done well lately, but Thursday morning brought a quick reversal to its recent gains. New data showed that first-time claims for unemployment benefits remained at elevated levels, with this week's 1.31 million number extending a streak of more than 1 million claims every single week since mid-March. The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) had fallen 39 points to 3,131, and the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) had dropped 69 points to 10,424.