Stocks rallied Thursday after a strong reading on productivity and an easing in jobless claims — an encouraging sign ahead of Friday's jobs report.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average shot up 203.82, or 2.1 percent, to close at 10,005.96 — the first time the index has finished above 10,000 since Oct. 22. All 30 Dow stocks finished higher.
Techs were among the best performers after Cisco posted strong results after the bell Wednesday.
Today's rally came after two straight mixed sessions, with a late selloff Wednesday wiping out what had been strong gains. Stocks remained strong after the Fed's latest pledge to keep interest rates low for an extended period, but a vote in Washington to limit credit-card rates raised concerns about bank earnings and helped pare much of those gains.
In today's economic news, nonfarm productivity in rose at its fastest pace in six yearswhile new jobless claims and the four-week moving average of claims fell to 10-month lows.
"The steady decline in initial claims is convincing evidence that the pace of firing is tapering off," Zach Pandl, analyst at Nomura Securities International, said in a note to clients. "Overall these data offer more evidence that US labor market conditions are gradually improving."
On Friday, we'll get the government's October jobs report — Economists expect to see that 175,000 jobs were shed from nonfarm payrolls, fewer than in previous months, and that the unemployment rate ticked up to 9.9 percent.
The Bank of England and European Central Bank both held their interest rates steady, as expected. There had been some buzz that the ECB was considering raising European rates. Only Australia and Norway have so far raised rates. Iceland actually cut rates.
Banks advanced, with Bank of America and Citigroup both up more than 2 percent, after a study suggested commercial real estate is likely to bottom in 2010.
Homebuilders also rallied, with Beazer and Pulte Homes among the biggest gainers, after the Senate voted to extend the first-time homebuyers' tax credit through April 30. First-time buyers will be eligible for an $8,000 tax credit. The measure was also extended to current homeowners: Anyone who's owned a home for at least five years and decides to move will get a $6,500 tax credit.
