Wall Street’s main indexes fell at the open on Thursday as a jump in weekly jobless claims suggested a stalling recovery in the labor market, while negotiations over fresh economic stimulus dragged on.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 114.73 points, or 0.38pc, to 39,954.08 at the opening bell.

The S&P 500 fell 19.11 points, or 0.52pc, to 3,653.71, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 98.80 points, or 0.80pc, to 12,240.15.