NEW YORK: US Treasury yields added to earlier gains on Thursday following a drop in domestic jobless claims to their lowest in over 48-1/2 years and a bigger-than-forecast increase in a gauge of US Mid-Atlantic business activity from the Philadelphia Federal Reserve.

At 8:42 a.m. (1242 GMT), the yield on benchmark 10-year Treasury notes was 2.880 percent, up 1 basis point from late on Wednesday.