U.S. stocks closed lower Thursday, as investors digested weak data out of China and rising oil prices while assessing the possibility of a Federal Reserve (Fed) interest rate hike. In U.S. economic news, weekly jobless claims held at a 43-year low, while import prices rose less than expected in September. In international economic news, Chinese exports tumbled 10 percent last month in dollar terms, while imports fell 1.9 percent. In corporate news, Delta Air Lines reported mixed quarterly results, missing estimates on the top line while beating on the bottom. The dollar fell 0.4 percent against a basket of currencies. Light sweet crude oil for November delivery added 0.52 percent to $50.44 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while gold futures rose $4.80 to $1,258.70 per ounce. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 44.10, or 0.24 percent, to 18,100.10. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index dropped 6.63, or 0.31 percent, to 2,132.55. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index declined 25.69, or 0.49 percent, to 5,213.33.
