Summary: U.S. stocks opened mixed on Thursday, a shortened trading session in observance of Christmas Eve. Weekly jobless claims fell 5,000 to 267,000 over the last week, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Though the four-week average rose slightly. Meanwhile, oil prices showed signs of strength with West Texas Intermediate inching closer to $38 handle, trading at $37.75 a barrel. This as the government said on Wednesday that crude inventories dropped last week by 5.9 million barrels, while analysts were expecting a rise of 4.8 million. Plus, shares of renewable energy company SunEdison (SUNE) were in focus this morning, saying it's in talks to scoop up some $650 million in new financing, according to a regulatory filing, in an effort to pay existing debts. Finally, Norfolk Southern (NSC) rejected Canadian Pacific Railway’s (CP) takeover bid of about $31 billion, saying the offer was 'grossly inadequate.' The markets are closed for Christmas on Friday. TheStreet’s Scott Gamm has details from New York.
