5:00PM EST: US stocks closed at six-year lows Thursday after data showed five million people were collecting unemployment benefits, a record high number that underlined the growing depths of the recession. The Dow Jones Industrial Average sank 89.68 points (1.19 percent) to 7,465.95 at the market close.

The tech-dominated Nasdaq dropped 25.15 points (1.71 percent) to 1,442.82 and the broad-market S&P500 index shed 9.48 points (1.20 percent) at 778.94, according to preliminary closing figures.

(Breitbart.com)