U.S. stocks traded higher midway through trading, with the Dow Jones index gaining around 200 points on Thursday.

The Dow traded up 0.47% to 42,110.56 while the NASDAQ rose 0.19% to 18,117.40. The S&P 500 also rose, gaining, 0.21% to 5,734.09.

Leading and Lagging Sectors

Materials shares jumped by 1.8% on Thursday.

In trading on Thursday, energy shares fell by 1.9%.

Top Headline

U.S. initial jobless claims fell by 4,000 from the prior week to 218,000 during the period ending September 21, compared to estimates of 225,000.

Equities Trading UP

• Telesis Bio, Inc.(NASDAQ:TBIO) shares shot up 71% to $3.96 after the company announced a partnership with Beckman Coulter Life Sciences to...