U.S. stocks open mostly lower as investors weigh GDP estimate, jobless claims data

U.S. stocks opened mostly lower Thursday as investors weighed fresh economic data including an estimate on third-quarter growth in the U.S. that was slightly stronger than expected. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA was up about 0.1% soon after the opening bell, while the S&P 500 SPX shed 0.2% and the Nasdaq Composite COMP fell 0.2%, according to FactSet data, at last check. Gross domestic product in the U.S. expanded at an annual rate of 4.9% in the third quarter, according to an estimate by the Bureau of Economic Analysis on Thursday. Economists polled by the Wall Street Journal had forecast GDP growth to jump 4.7% in the third quarter. Meanwhile, the Labor Department said Thursday that initial jobless claims in the U.S. rose by 10,000 to 210,000 in the week ending Oct. 21. Jobless claims remain low after the slight rise. In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note dipped about two basis points to around 4.92%, FactSet data show, at last check.