NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Stocks were poised to open the final trading session of 2009 with modest gains after a report on initial jobless claims came in better than expected, giving investors even more reason to celebrate a year of solid market advances.
The Dow Jones industrial average, Nasdaq-100 and S&P-500 futures were higher. Futures measure current index values against their perceived future performance and offer an indication of how markets may open when trading begins.
Stocks were choppy Wednesday but ended slightly higher, with the Dow and Nasdaq reaching 2009 highs. All three indexes have posted substantial gains year-to-date and are set to end the year up over 20%.
The markets will remain open for a full session Thursday, the last trading day of the year, but trading volume will be light, with many market participants on vacation. The markets will be closed Friday in observance of New Year's Day.
An ongoing dispute between Time Warner Cable and Fox remains in the spotlight. If a deal is not reached before the Dec. 31 deadline, all of the Fox-owned broadcast networks and some of its cable channels could disappear from some Time Warner Cable subscribers' televisions on New Year's Day.
Economy: Before the bell, the government's weekly jobless claims report showed initial unemployment claim filings fell to 432,000, the lowest level since July 2008.
The number was an unexpected improvement from a revised 454,000 filings the previous week. A Briefing.com consensus of analysts had estimated there would be 460,000 new filers for unemployment insurance last week.
World markets: Stocks in Asia closed higher, with Hong Kong's Hang Seng index up 1.8%; Tokyo finished its 2009 trading year on Wednesday. European indexes were slightly higher in midday trading; several markets, including Frankfurt, were closed.
Money and oil: The dollar fell against the euro, pound and yen.
Crude oil for February delivery rose 10 cents to $79.38 a barrel.
Gold for February delivery shot up $10.90 to $1,103.40 an ounce. 
| Overnight Avg Rate | Latest | Change | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 yr fixed | 3.80% | 3.80% | |
| 15 yr fixed | 3.09% | 3.11% | |
| 5/1 ARM | 2.65% | 2.69% | |
| 30 yr refi | 3.77% | 3.86% | |
| 15 yr refi | 3.09% | 3.21% |
Today's featured rates:
| Index | Last | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dow | 12,454.83 | -74.92 | -0.60% |
| Nasdaq | 2,837.53 | -1.85 | -0.07% |
| S&P 500 | 1,317.82 | -2.86 | -0.22% |
| Treasuries | 1.74 | -0.01 | -0.80% |
| Company | Price | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of America Corp... | 7.15 | 0.01 | 0.14% |
| Sprint Nextel Corp | 2.62 | 0.09 | 3.56% |
| Cisco Systems Inc | 16.33 | -0.06 | -0.37% |
| Chesapeake Energy Co... | 15.81 | 0.23 | 1.48% |
| Ford Motor Co | 10.60 | 0.01 | 0.09% |
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