New York (AFP)

Wall Street was evolving without clear direction Thursday after the publication of several data in the United States, offering a mixed picture of the American economic situation.

Around 134.50 GMT, its flagship index, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.14% to 26,081.96 points.

The Nasdaq, with a strong technological coloring, rose by 0.24% to 9,934.13 points.

The broad S&P 500 index gleaned 0.02% at 3,113.97 points.

The New York Stock Exchange ended in scattered order Wednesday in a market torn between signs of economic recovery in the United States and uncertainty about the future: the Dow Jones fell 0.65% while the Nasdaq gained 0 , 15%.

"The mood in the market today echoes that of Wednesday's trading session, where the Dow Jones and the S&P alternated between gains and losses, with investors weighing encouraging indicators against fears of rising contaminations. at Covid-19, "observe analysts at Wells Fargo.

Such an increase, if continued, could "lead to further containment measures or a slower rebound in consumer spending," they add.

Figures released Thursday morning revealed that the US job market is still struggling despite the resumption of activity and the reopening of the economy.

New weekly claims for unemployment benefits in the United States rose to 1.5 million last week, a higher number than analysts' predictions (1.35 million), according to figures from the Labor Department.

In contrast, manufacturing activity in the Philadelphia region (northeast of the United States) returned to the green in June thanks to the reopening of the economy, according to the index of the local antenna of the Central Bank American (Fed).

"In summary, reports in early June suggest that economic growth has picked up, but employment is lagging behind," said Chris Low of FHN Financial.

On the bond market, the 10-year rate on the US debt fell, to 0.7002% against 0.7389% Wednesday evening.

- Kroger steps back -

Among the stocks, Kroger fell 3.84%. US supermarket giant released quarterly results above expectations with 57% profit gain, but did not revise its annual outlook upward due to uncertainty related to the Covid-19 pandemic .

Carnival was taking 0.89%. The cruise line, however, reported greater losses than expected in its preliminary results for the second quarter and said it was "unable to predict when its activities could resume normally."

Its competitors Norwegian Cruise Line (+ 3.08%) and Royal Caribbean (+ 3.53%) were also up.

Hertz was down 4.50%. The company, which declared bankruptcy in late May in the United States and Canada, has halted plans to sell shares for a total of $ 500 million after a warning from the US stock market policeman. Hertz's action had been suspended for several hours on Wednesday before restarting shortly before the close of Wall Street.

© 2020 AFP