Market update: US markets boosted by better than expected jobless claims

On Thursday, both the Dow Jones and the S&P 500 finished the trading day up 0.6% boosted by better-than-expected jobless claims. Shares in IBM reached an all-time high, joining 73 other stocks which also hit record peaks in the past week. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve’s Comprehensive Capital and Analysis Review drove some banking stocks down after the Fed ordered an improvement in capital planning.

In early morning trading, the FTSE 100 has opened 0.1% lower while the FTSE Eurofirst 300 is down 0.2%. Investors are expecting a marked increase in volatility today due to the impact of ‘triple witching’ when stock index options, futures contracts, and options on individual stocks all expire. Shares in Rentokil Initial soared 10% after the support services stock reported a 10% rise in adjusted pre-tax profit.