Thursday morning headlines

Mixed market: Stocks opened higher and have since fallen below the line. Dow is down 20 points.

Jobless claims fall: Second consecutive week there's been a drop in filings, though the four-week average stands at 439,000, which is high for a recovery. From AP:

Labor Department analysts attributed much of the gains over the past month to technical and seasonal factors. The included a big increase in layoffs in New York late last month because more of its school systems closed for spring break than expected. That boosted temporary layoffs among school bus drivers, cafeteria workers and other hourly employees. A new extended benefits program in Oregon also caused applications to rise.

LinkedIn shares soar: Talk about frothy - priced at $45 a share, the newly issued stock has already jumped to $86 in early trading, giving it a market value of around $9 billion. (Reuters)

Jamie McCourt may force the issue: The estranged wife of Dodger owner Frank McCourt is expected to ask Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon to force a sale of the team before Major League Baseball takes it over. From the LAT:

Jamie McCourt's position is that the actions of Frank McCourt -- her ex-husband -- have endangered the value of the Dodgers. She wants Gordon, the judge overseeing the couple's divorce, to order that the club be put up for sale so both parties could reap the maximum value for the primary asset of their marriage, according to the people familiar with the proceedings.

Japan's economy takes a tumble: The March 11 earthquake and tsunami has resulted in a 3.7 percent first-quarter downturn - worse than economists had been expecting. But this time the recession may be short. (NYT)

Women, minority scribes still have it tough: The earnings gap between minority and white writers in Hollywood has more than doubled since 2007. The gap between women and men jumped 84 percent. Figures are from a study by the Writers Guild. (LAT)

E-books blowing past print: Amazon has been selling 105 Kindle titles for every 100 print copies it moves. (All Things Digital)

Fewer distressed homes: They made up 48 percent of all properties sold in April, down from 51 percent the previous month and 49 percent a year earlier, according to the California Association of Realtors. Not much of a change.