Oct 3 (Reuters) - Wall Street opened lower on Thursday

after a moderate rise in jobless claims sparked worries about

the health of the labor market, while cautious investors kept an

eye on the Middle East for any escalation in hostilities.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 97.0 points, or

0.23%, at the open to 42,099.53. The S&P 500 fell 11.4

points, or 0.20%, at the open to 5,698.19​, while the Nasdaq

Composite dropped 65.6 points, or 0.37%, to 17,859.486

at the opening bell.