Labor's weekly report said initial claims rose by 15,000 to 627,000 in the week ended June 20. In the previous week, claims had declined.
In midmorning trading, the Dow Jones industrial average edged up 3.10 points or 0.04 percent to 8,302.96. The Standard & Poor's 500 added 0.90 or 0.1 percent to 901.84. The Nasdaq composite index was up 3.78 or 0.21 percent to 1,796.12.
The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury bond rose 3/32 to yield 3.68 percent.
The euro fell to $1.3923, compared to Wednesday's $1.3942. Against the Japanese yen, the dollar rose to 96.172 yen, compared to Wednesday's 95.47 yen.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei average gained 205.76 points to 9,796.08, up 2.15 percent.
