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* Weekly jobless claims back over 1 million
* Nvidia dips as data center business results disappoint
* L Brands rises after posting a surprise profit
* Intel jumps after announcing $10-bln share buyback plan
* Futures down: Dow 0.38%, S&P 0.39%, Nasdaq 0.21%
(Adds quote, details; updates prices)
By Medha Singh
Aug 20 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes were set to
open lower on Thursday after weekly jobless claims rose
unexpectedly back above the 1 million mark last week, lending
weight to the Federal Reserve's view of a difficult road to
economic recovery.
The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq had retreated from their peaks on
Wednesday after minutes from the Fed's latest policy meeting
showed the labor market's swift rebound in May and June had
likely slowed and policymakers would stick with aggressive
stimulus measures for a much longer period. The number of Americans filing for a new claim for
unemployment benefits rose to 1.106 million in the week ended
Aug. 15 after slipping below the 1 million level for the first
time since the start of the pandemic, in the prior week.
A separate report from the Philadelphia Fed showed business
conditions index fell more than expected to 17.2 points in
August from 24.1 points in July.
"In the short term, if the jobless claim numbers come out
worse than expected, I could see that pushing Congress to get
another stimulus package going, maybe put more priority," said
Jeffrey Corliss, managing director, partner at Connecticut-based
RDM Financial Group at Hightower Securities Llc.
"The Fed minutes brought a reality check that they're seeing
things out there (that) they're concerned about."
Despite signs that parts of the economy were still far away
from pre-pandemic levels, the benchmark S&P 500 index completed
its fastest recovery from a bear market this week, joining the
Nasdaq in scaling new peaks.
Unprecedented fiscal and monetary support and gains in
heavyweight technology companies have helped Wall Street's main
indexes dramatically recover from their March trough. Still, the
Dow is more than 6% below its February high.
At 8:41 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis 1YMcv1 were down 104 points,
or 0.38%, S&P 500 e-minis EScv1 were down 13.25 points, or
0.39% and Nasdaq 100 e-minis NQcv1 were down 23.5 points, or
0.21%.
Nvidia Corp NVDA.O slipped 0.9% in premarket trade after
results from the data center business of the rising
semiconductor industry star disappointed some investors.
Intel Corp INTC.O rose 3.0% after announcing a $10-billion
share buyback plan.
L Brands Inc LB.N rose 4.0% after reporting a surprise
quarterly profit, boosted by strong demand for Bath & Body
Works' products as well as higher online sales of Victoria's
Secret lingerie.