Stocks opened lower on Thursday, extending the previous session's steep decline following a bigger-than-expected rise in weekly jobless claims.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was down 28.40 points, or 0.20 percent, at 13,899.14. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was down 5.87 points, or 0.39 percent, at 1,506.08. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was down 11.90 points, or 0.38 percent, at 3,152.51.

(Reporting by Ryan Vlastelica; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)