• The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits increased more than expected last week, but the rise probably does not signal a material shift in labor market conditions as claims for several states, including California, were estimated.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits jumped 13,000 to a seasonally adjusted 248,000 for the week ended May 27, the Labor Department said on Thursday.
It was the 117th straight week that claims were below 300,000, a threshold associated with a healthy labor market.
• President Donald Trump on Thursday said he will withdraw the United States from the landmark 2015 global agreement to fight climate change, a move that fulfilled a major campaign pledge but drew condemnation from U.S. allies and business leaders.
• U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Thursday he was confident that Congress would raise the federal debt limit "before there's an issue" with U.S. creditworthiness, and he pledged that the Trump administration's tax reform plans would be paid for.
• The United Nations Security Council will vote on Friday on a U.S. and Chinese proposal to blacklist more North Korean individuals and entities after the country's repeated ballistic missile launches, diplomats said on Thursday.
• Oil prices were mixed on Thursday, with Brent crude down on concerns that key producers were still adding to the global crude glut but U.S. crude up slightly after a larger-than-expected domestic inventory drawdown.
U.S. crude futures CLc1 settled up 4 cents at $48.36 a barrel, while Brent LCOc1 ended down 13 cents at $50.63. After settlement, both benchmarks fell, failing to sustain the lift from the morning news of declining U.S. crude and gasoline stocks.
Reference: Reuters
Thai
Eng