US markets rally; Airbnb revenue jumped 300%; Pfizer rallied on FDA update

The US markets closed higher on Thursday as weekly jobless claims fell for a third straight week to 375,000 last week.

The Dow Jones rose 0.04% to finish the trading day up 15 points to close at 35,500 points.

The tech heavy NASDAQ rose 0.4% to finish the trading day up 51 points to close at 14,816 points with Apple and Tesla gaining 2.08% and 2.04% respectively.

One bitcoin is worth US$44,403 going into the Asian trading day.

The Australian dollar is firm against the major currencies and is buying 73.4 US cents.

Airbnb shares climbed 2% yesterday after the online holiday booking site reported second-quarter earnings. For the period, Airbnb reported revenues of US$1.34bn up 300% YoY, exceeding the US$1.26bn forecast, but posted a loss of 11c/share.

Following the report, shares in Airbnb fell 4% as investors digested Airbnb?s warning about expected market volatility as the Delta COVID-19 variant spreads.

US-biotech giant Pfizer gained 2% on Thursday amid the US FDA moving closer to approving COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for anyone with weaker immune systems. The shift in the American vaccination strategy to include booster shots follows the increasing number of Delta variant COVID-19 cases in the nation and around the world.

And Audi?s new Skysphere EV concept can transform itself from a two-seater sports car, to a grand touring car that drives itself, at the click of a button.