The major U.S. equity indexes were mildly higher Thursday morning as Wall Street looked to improve upon a mixed week.
The Dow Jones Industrials progressed 166.42 points to 34,959.09.
The S&P 500 regained 14.13 points to 4,416.79.
The NASDAQ gained 63.44 points to 14,843.79.
Shares of Roku dropped 6% after the company issued quarterly results. Etsy fell 12% in early trading after the company gave guidance for the current quarter that indicated the pandemic-fueled commerce boom may be coming to an end.
However, earnings season has been strong overall. Goldman Sachs raised its year-end target for the S&P 500 to 4,700, representing 7% upside, in part due to an improving earnings outlook going.
Weekly initial jobless claims came in at 385,000 on Thursday, in-line with expectations. Recent earnings and economic data have been strong overall, but some economists worry economic growth and employment gains will taper from here.
The jobless claims data was the last reading before the key July jobs report, which will be released on Friday morning. There is a wide range of estimates from economists about what the report will show, and some metrics for employment gains have disappointed despite a high level of reported job openings.
Prices for 10-Year Treasurys dipped, raising yields to 1.21% from Wednesday's 1.18%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices jumped 48 cents to $68.63 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices slid $8.40 to $1,806.10 U.S. an ounce.