U.S. stocks finished higher on Thursday, with the Dow rising for the fifth straight session to close in positive territory for 2016 for the first time this year. The energy, materials and industrials sectors rose sharply, helped by soaring commodity prices. Crude-oil futures jumped above US$40 a barrel for the first time since 3 December, aided by hopes over reducing of output and a sharp drop in the U.S. dollar. Initial U.S. unemployment claims rose by a smaller-than-expected 7,000 last week to 265,000. The four-week moving average rose by 750 to 268,000. Separately, the Labor Department said the number of jobs openings rose to a seasonally adjusted 5.54 million in January from 5.28 million in December.
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