US stocks close at fresh records ahead of jobs report

US stocks closed higher on Thursday, as concerns over tensions in the Middle East eased, which led Wall Street to post fresh record highs, ahead of the jobs report.

President Donald Trump stated that the phase-one trade deal with China will be signed on January 15, but signing the phase-two trade deal with China might get delayed to after the November presidential elections.

US data showed today that unemployment claims fell by 9,000 to 214,000 last week.

The US monthly jobs report will be released tomorrow, which provides insight on the strength of the US labor market, with forecasts of 150,000 new jobs and for the unemployment rate to hold during December.

To the oil market, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) fell by 0.1% to close at $59.56, with a high of $60.3 and a low of $58.6.

Brent lost 0.1% to $65.37 a barrel, and hit a high of $66.1 and low of $64.5.

As for stocks, Dow Jones rose 0.7% or 112 points to close at 28,957, and hit an intraday high 28,988 and a low 28,844.

Nasdaq added 0.8% or 74 points to 9,203 points, with a high of 9,216 and a low of 9,158 points.

S&P 500 rose by 0.6% or 21 points to 3,274, with a high of 3,275 and a low of 3,263.