U.S. stocks open higher; economy adds 223,000 jobs in June
U.S. stocks opened slightly higher on Thursday as investors weighed a soft jobs report as well as uncertainty hanging over Greece referendum ahead of the long holiday weekend. Government data for June showed the economy added 223,000 new jobs, in line with forecasts by economists polled by MarketWatch. However, May and April numbers were reduced. Analysts noted that the report was solid enough for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates in September, yet a lack of wage growth could give policy makers an excuse to wait until December. Thursday wraps up the holiday-shortened week, with the main indexes on track to post weekly losses. The S&P 500 opened 5 points, or 0.2%, higher at 2,082. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 36 points, or 0.2%, to 17,789. The Nasdaq Composite gained 7 points, or 0.1% to 5,020.
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