THURSDAY’S MORNING’S TOP STORIES By MarketWatch Indications: U.S. stock futures improve on drop in claims U.S. stock futures gained a bit Thursday after the Labor Department reported first-time claims for unemployment benefits declined unexpectedly last week. Read Indications Weekly jobless claims fall unexpectedly U.S. trade gap narrows sharply in June Europe markets: Europe gets slim support from China, earnings European stock markets wobbled on the edge of a fifth consecutive day of gains on Thursday, with some slim lines of support from Chinese economic data and well-received results from heavyweights Novo Nordisk AS and Nestlé SA. Read Europe markets U.K. market falls; Standard Chartered shares rise Deutsche Telekom confirms outlook as earnings rise Asia markets: Asian stocks pull higher on weak China data Most Asian markets ended higher Thursday as China’s cooling inflation and weak economic data strengthened expectations Beijing will act to support growth.

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