NEW YORK -- U.S. investors Wednesday took heart in good energy cost and jobless data, sending major U.S. stock indexes higher.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 15.74 or 0.15 percent to 10,508.34 in mid-morning trading. The Nasdaq composite gained 10.24 or 0.49 percent to 2,094.52, and the Standard & Poor's 500 picked up 3.56 or 0.3 percent to 1,180.50.
Crude oil futures fell below $49 per barrel, and the Labor Department said initial jobless claims fell by 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted level of 323,000 in the week ended Nov. 20, a three-month low.
The numbers suggested employers are expanding payrolls at a robust pace in November.
The 10-year Treasury note was unchanged at a 4.18 percent yield.
The dollar fell against the yen to 102.6 from 103.38, while the euro rose to $1.3163 from $1.3079.
Tokyo's Nikkei 225 gained 22.94 points or 0.2 percent to close at 10,872.33.
