Stocks fell on Thursday as Wall Street heads towards the final trading day of 2021. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was the biggest loser, falling over 90 points and snapping a six-day winning streak. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq also shed 0.30% and 0.16%, respectively.
Here's how the market settled on Thursday:
S&P 500 Index
Dow Jones Industrial Average
Nasdaq Composite Index
JetBlue to cut more flights due to Omicron:
JetBlue Airways
"This past week has been one of our most difficult operating periods during the pandemic," Jetblue department leaders wrote in a note to staff on Tuesday, CNBC reports Thursday. "The exponential growth in Omicron cases over just a couple of days is at a level that no one would reasonably prepare for."
They said the airline would cancel flights "to get further ahead of the expected increase in Omicron cases." The planned flight cuts are slightly below 10% of Jet Bluses daily schedule.
CDC advises against cruise travel due to Omicron:
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised people against cruise travel on Thursday, regardless of vaccination status. The federal health authority's decision follows a recent surge in positive COVID infections on-board ships driven by the high mutated Omicron variant.
The CDC warned that COVID transmits easily between people in close quarters on ships, and the chance of being infection is very high even for those fully vaccinated and having received a third booster dose. The agency also increased its travel warning for cruises to its highest level.
"It is especially important that travelers who are at an increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 avoid travel on cruise ships, including river cruises, worldwide, regardless of vaccination status," the CDC said in a statement.
Following the news, Norwegian Cruise Line
Tesla recalls more than 475,000 Model 3 and Model S EVs:
Tesla
The model years affected in the recall range from 2014 to 2021, according to the U.S. road safety regulator, and the total number of recalled EVs is nearly equal to the half a million units Tesla delivered last year.
Tesla said it was not aware of any crashes, injuries or deaths related to the issues cited in the recall of both models, the NHTSA said.
Tesla shares shed nearly 1.5% in trading on Thursday.
Jobless claims remain within pre-pandemic levels:
Initial jobless claims continue to be at pre-pandemic levels last week as the labor market continues to recover amid as demand for workers remains high.
New unemployment claims totaled 198,000 for the week ended Dec. 25, according to the Labor Department's latest report published Thursday. That print was well below the 206,000 expected by economists and the prior week's upwardly revised total of 206,000. Earlier in December, jobless claims fell to 188,000, marking the lowest level since 1969.
Meanwhile, continuing jobless claims also fell for the week ended Dec. 18, totaling 1.716 million. That print also beat expectations for 1.875 million and was below the previous week's downwardly revised total of 1.856 million.
Here's how market benchmarks started trading soon after market open:
S&P 500 Index: +0.12% or +5.93 points to 4,798.99
Dow Jones Industrial Average: +0.28% or +103.36 points to 36,591.99
Nasdaq Composite Index: -0.06% or -8.96 points to 15,757.26
