A gauge of U.S. company credit risk fell to the lowest level since 2007 as job openings climbed to a five-year high. The cost to protect the debt of Time Warner Cable Inc. against losses decreased.

The Markit CDX North American Investment Grade Index, a credit-default swaps benchmark that investors use to hedge against losses or to speculate on creditworthiness, decreased 1.7 basis points to 68.8 basis points as of 4:22 p.m. in New York, according to prices compiled by Bloomberg. The benchmark is poised to reach the lowest closing level since November 2007.

Investors are assessing gains in the job market as a sign of improving corporate creditworthiness, even amid speculation that positive economic data might prompt the Federal Reserve to cut back on stimulus at its December meeting, according to Adrian Miller, director of fixed-income strategies at GMP Securities LLC in New York.