U.S. stocks traded higher this morning, with the Nasdaq Composite gaining more than 100 points on Thursday. Following the market opening Thursday, the Dow traded up 0.14% to 38,204.88 while the NASDAQ rose 0.77% to 15,281.03. The S&P 500 also rose, gaining, 0.49% to 4,869.54. Check This Out: $320M Bet On This Healthcare Stock? Check Out These 3 Stocks Insiders Are Buying Leading and Lagging SectorsCommunication services shares rose by 1.5% on Thursday. In trading on Thursday, utilities shares fell by 0.6%. Top HeadlineU.S. initial jobless claims increased to 224,000 in the week ended January 2…