Thursday’s session closed in the red zone. UnitedHealth, DuPont, General Electric and Microsoft led decliners on the Dow. Brands took a breather amid comments from the Federal Reserve. Minutes from the most recent Federal Open Market Committee meeting revealed growing concern about the risks of the Fed’s stimulative monetary policy. Additionally, the Fed announced it will buy $45 billion per month in Treasury securities, replacing Operation Twist. On another note, the Labor Department reported that initial jobless claims increased by 10,000 to 372,000 last week, from the prior week’s upwardly revised 362,000. Economists had expected 365,000 new claims. Looking ahead, December employment data will be released tomorrow.
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