01:58 PM EST, 12/04/2025 (MT Newswires) -- US benchmark equity indexes were higher intraday as investors assessed the latest labor market data.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite were up 0.1% each after midday Thursday. The Dow reached 47,918.5, while the S&P 500 was at 6,857.3. The Nasdaq moved to 23,485.5. Among sectors, industrials led the gainers, while consumer staples saw the biggest drop.

In economic news, US-based employers announced roughly 1.2 million layoffs for the first 11 months of 2025, up 54% from a year earlier and the highest year-to-date total since 2020, Challenger Gray & Christmas said. Job cuts in November decreased 53% sequentially, according to the report.

"Layoff plans fell last month, certainly a positive sign," said Andy Challenger, the firm's chief revenue officer. "That said, job cuts in November have risen above 70,000 only twice since 2008."

Separately, the Department of Labor reported that weekly applications for unemployment insurance in the US reached their lowest level since Sept. 24, 2022, while continuing claims also fell.

The National Federation of Independent Business said a seasonally adjusted 33% of small business owners in the US reported job openings they couldn't fill last month, up one point from October and the first rise since June. Unfilled job openings continued to be above the historical average of 24%, according to the report.

"The economy has continued to grow steadily despite the recent government shutdown," NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg said. "On Main Street, job growth continues to be constrained by a lack of qualified employees."

The odds of a 25-basis-point interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve next week reached 87% Thursday, down from 90% Wednesday, but up from 69% a month ago, according to the CME FedWatch tool.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics won't publish October employment data that was delayed due a now-ended federal government shutdown. The November jobs report is scheduled for release about a week after the Fed announces its next monetary policy decision Dec. 10. The central bank has reduced its benchmark lending rate by a total of 50 basis points this year amid concerns about the labor market.

US Treasury yields were higher intraday Thursday, with the 10-year rate up 4.2 basis points at 4.10% and the two-year rate increasing 3.9 basis points to 3.53%.

In company news, Dollar General ( DG ) shares jumped nearly 13%, the top gainer on the S&P 500, as the discount retailed raised its full-year outlook after posting better-than-expected fiscal third-quarter results.

Salesforce ( CRM ) was the best performer on the Dow, up 4.2%. The customer relationship management platform late Wednesday logged fiscal third-quarter earnings that exceeded Wall Street's estimates, while revenue rose less than expected.

Snowflake (SNOW) shares plunged 11% intraday Thursday. Late Wednesday, annual growth in the cloud-based data platform company's fiscal third-quarter product revenue decelerated sequentially.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise ( HPE ) , Ulta Beauty ( ULTA ) and DocuSign ( DOCU ) are scheduled to report results after the closing bell Thursday.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil was up 1.5% at $59.87 a barrel intraday.

"Oil prices firmed after Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil infrastructure raised supply concerns, while stalled peace talks tempered hopes of restoring Russian flows to global markets," D.A. Davidson said in a note to clients.

Gold was up 0.3% at $4,247.80 per troy ounce, while silver fell 1.9% to $57.51 per ounce.