By Tanya Agrawal
REUTERS - U.S. stocks were set to dip at the open on Thursday after initial jobless claims rose less than expected, suggesting an abrupt slowdown in job growth in March could be temporary.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 14,000 to a seasonally adjusted 281,000. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims rising to 285,000.
"More and more, the market reacts to positive economic news with pessimism and weak numbers are encouraging. We have to get out of that cycle and we need the first rate increase [from the Fed] for that to happen," said Peter Jankovskis, co-chief investment officer at OakBrook Investments LLC in Lisle, Illinois.
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S&P 500 e-mini futures were down 3 points and fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract, indicated a higher/lower/flat open. Dow Jones industrial average e-mini futures fell 15 points and Nasdaq 100 e-mini futures lost 6.5 points
Data expected at 10:00 a.m. (1400 GMT) includes wholesale inventories numbers for February.
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(Editing by Bernadette Baum)