US stocks are set to open slightly lower after weekly jobless data came in worse than expected.

The S&P 500 is seen starting four points easier at around 1457 and the Dow Jones industrial average around 20 points easier at 13,537.

First-time jobless claims rose 46,000 to 388,000 in the week ended October 13th from a revised 342,000. The market had been exepcting jobless claims to rise to a lower figure of 365,000.

Banking titan Morgan Stanley has topped market expectations with its third quarter figures, which revealed a post-tax loss of just over a billion dollars, versus a profit of 2.2bn dollars in the corresponding period of last year. Adjusted earnings per share were 28 cents a share, which was ahead of the Street's consensus forecast of 25 cents.


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