NEW YORK, April 1 (UPI) -- U.S. markets rose quickly Thursday morning after the Labor Department said initial jobless claims fell in the week ending March 27.
The weekly labor report said there were 6,000 fewer claims for first-time employment benefits, extending a steak of fewer claims to the fifth consecutive week.
In midmorning trading, the Dow Jones industrial average gained 87.59 points, 0.81 percent, to 10,944.22. The Standard & Poor's 500 index added 10.06 points, 0.86 percent, to 1,179.49. The Nasdaq composite index of tech-dominated rose 0.86 percent, 20.61 points, to 2,418.57.
The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note fell 11/32 to yield 3.874 percent.
The euro fell to $1.3508 from Wednesday's $1.3509. Against the yen, the dollar rose to 93.86 yen from Wednesday's 93.49 yen.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index gained 1.39 percent, 154.46, to 11,244.40.
