Jobless claims drop, markets close higher

Jobless claims fell more than expected to lift the markets to a higher close with the Dow climbing 69 points to 17,554. Nasdaq gained 17 points to 4,638.

On the upside

ENGlobal (Nasdaq: ENG) swung to a profit for the third quarter as revenue rose.

Endocyte (Nasdaq: ECYT) widened third quarter losses but the results were better than expected.

Third quarter earnings slipped for Noodles & Co. (Nasdaq: NDLS) but revenue rose.

On the downside

Third quarter revenue for Nationstar Mortgage Holdings (NYSE: NSM) fell short of analyst expectations.

Tangoe (Nasdaq: TNGO) reported lower third quarter earnings that missed expectations and forecast current quarter result below estimates prompting a downgrade.

Shares of Upland Software (Nasdaq: UPLD) tumbled on its first trading day.

In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of more than 9 to 7 on the NYSE and by 7 to 5 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 rose 7 points to 2031. Bitcoin rose $9 to $347.