The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.38% rose 95 points, or 0.4%, to 25,241.41, with about two-thirds of the blue-chip companies finishing higher. The S&P 500 SPX, -0.07% ended 1.98 points, or 0.1%, lower at 2,770.37, breaking a four-day winning streak. The Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, -0.70% which briefly traded in positive territory and set an all-time high, sank 54.17 points to 7,635, a decline of 0.7%.

US weekly jobless claims drop as labour market picks up steam. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 222,000 for the week ended June 2, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims rising to 225,000 in the latest week.

US reaches deal with China's ZTE that includes US$1b fine. Under the deal, ZTE will change its board and management within 30 days, pay a US$1 billion fine, put US$400 million in escrow and retain a new US-selected compliance team

Brent crude futures settled up $1.96 a barrel, or 2.6 percent at $77.32. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose $1.22, or 1.88 percent to $65.95 a barrel. Crude prices got an early lift on concerns about exports from Venezuela. Gains grew when Algeria's oil minister indicated OPEC would focus on balancing the market rather than on rolling back production caps.

SembMarine to buy Sevan Marine's intellectual property in US$28m deal to end legal dispute. The litigation between SCM Group and Sevan Marine in the US courts over the infringement of intellectual property rights of SCM Group will be terminated subject to completion.

Wilmar, OCBC ink deal to peg interest rate on US$200m loan to sustainability performance. Interests rates on Wilmar's loan will be reduced on a tiered basis if the company achieves its pre-set sustainability targets, which are based off environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics.

Citic Envirotech secures 1b yuan environmental project in Anyang City. To undertake the project, Citic and its partner in the project - Fengzhu Textile Technology - will set up a project company with shareholdings of 90 per cent and 10 per cent respectively.

Source: SGX Masnet, Bloomberg, Channel NewsAsia, Reuters, The Business Times, PSR