LIVE Market Coverage: Thursday August 6 Yahoo Finance

Get the latest up-to-the-minute continuous stock market coverage and big interviews in the world of finance every Monday–Friday from 9 am to 5pm (ET). #YahooFinance #Stocks #coronaviruscovid19 The lineup: 9am - 11am: The First Trade 11am - 1pm: On The Move 1pm - 3pm: The Ticker 3pm - 5pm: The Final Round #Stockmarket #coronavirus #YahooFinance Stocks drifted as trading kicked off Thursday, as investors digested better-than-expected weekly jobs data, and eyed another set of corporate earnings results. A day earlier, the S&P 500 ended higher for a fourth straight session and came within striking distance of its recent record close. The Labor Department’s report on new jobless claims showed that fewer people applied for unemployment insurance in the latest week. New jobless claims improved to a pandemic-era low of 1.19 million, but still held above the 1 million mark for a twentieth consecutive week. The print, however, followed a sharp miss in ADP’s National Employment Report on Wednesday, which showed that private employers added back just 167,000 jobs in July, where 1.2 million had been expected. It also came a day ahead of the Labor Department’s official July jobs report, set for release Friday morning. A mixed picture of economic improvement in the U.S., especially in the labor market, has added urgency for Congress to convene on a new stimulus bill to support those affected by widespread virus-related joblessness. Discussions are set to continue in Washington, though lawmakers on both sides of the aisle appear locked in a stalemate on key issues. “Fiscal stimulus that supported the economy during the first half of the year is wearing off and it’s unclear whether Congress will be able to provide more fiscal support, but for now markets continue to price that another stimulus package is a done deal,” Charlie Ripley, senior investment strategist for Allianz Investment Management, said in an email Wednesday. Meanwhile, quarterly earnings reports ahead of the opening bell Thursday came in mixed. Restaurant Brands (QSR), the parent company of Tim Horton’s and Burger King, saw second-quarter revenue slide 25% over last year to $1.05 billion, though the result topped consensus analyst estimates, and the company said it saw “substantial improvement in business performance over the course of the quarter” relative to March. Meanwhile, Hilton Worldwide Holdings (HLT) posted an even wider than expected loss, and saw its revenue per available room slide 81% over last year as consumers eschewed travel during the pandemic. After market close Wednesday, a handful of smaller-cap tech companies report results that handily topped consensus estimates. Etsy (ETSY), which has benefited from an influx of consumers turning to online shopping, saw a 137% surge in in second-quarter revenue. Gross merchandise sales jumped 146%, and even in absence of face mask sales jumped 93% over last year. Roku (ROKU) also posted estimates-topping top-line results, with sales