The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 28 points to finish at 12,980.30 Thursday while tech stocks lifted the Nasdaq 22 points to end at 2,988.97.
The S&P 500 rose 8.41 points to close at 1,374.09.
The Labor Department reported that weekly unemployment claims fell by 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 351,000 last week, nearly a four-year low. Also the four-week moving average for new claims fell 5,500 to 354,000, the lowest level since March 2008.
Personal income gained 0.3% in January, according to the Commerce Department. Inflation-adjusted consumer spending has now been unchanged for three straight months.
Here are some more details from Thursday’s trading session:
Dow Jones Industrial Average:
- Up two of the past three trading days.
- Largest one-day points and percentage gain since February 23, 2012.
- An intraday high of 13032.67 occurred at 09:59:03 today, representing an increase of 80.60 points, or 0.62%.
- An intraday low of 12943.06 occurred at 15:39:44 today, representing a decrease of 9.01 points, or 0.07%.
- Seventeen of the 30 component stocks rose, 12 fell, one was unchanged.
- Today's top five contributors to The Dow's movement and their point contribution: JPM (8.55), IBM (6.05), AXP (5.15), CVX (4.84), MSFT (4.16).
- Today's bottom five laggards: PG (-6.51), CAT (-6.21), MRK (-2.88), KO (-1.97), WMT (-1.97).
- Down 8.36% from its record close of 14164.53 on October 09, 2007.
- Up 98.26% from its 12-year closing low of 6547.05 on March 9, 2009.
- Up 5.89% from 52 weeks ago.
- Up 5.02% from its 2012 closing low of 12359.92 on January 06, 2012.
- Down 0.19% from its 52-week high of 13005.12 on February 28, 2012.
- Up 21.82% from its 52-week low of 10655.30 on October 03, 2011.
- Year-to-date: up 6.24%.
- DJIA crossed zero 22 times during today's trading session.
Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index:
- Up 90.92 points, or 0.64% to 14302.61*, or approximately $108 billion in market capitalization.
- Up five of the past six trading days.
- A new 2012 closing high.
- Largest one-day points & percentage gain since February 16, 2012.
- Highest closing value since April 29, 2011.
- Down 9.16% (approximately $2.5 trillion in market cap), from its record close of 15745.39 on October 09, 2007.
- Up 110.33% (approximately $8.7 trillion in market cap), from the 12-½ year closing low of 6800.08 on March 9, 2009.
- Up 2.78% from 52 weeks ago.
- Up 8.30% from its 2012 closing low of 13206.64 on January 04, 2012.
- Down 0.04% from its 52-week high of 14308.37 on April 29, 2011.
- Up 26.58% from its 52-week low of 11299.07 on October 03, 2011.
- Year-to-date: up 9.86%, or approximately 1.5 trillion in market cap.
Data courtesy of Dow Jones Indexes.
