The U.S. Labor Department said first-time claims for state unemployment benefits fell to its lowest level in two months in the latest week.
Ford Motor Co. surprised Wall Street on Thursday with a 100-million-dollar profit in the first quarter as strong results from Europe and South America helped offset the impact of a slumping U.S. economy that cut car and truck sales in its main market.
However, the Commerce Department reported that new home sales fell in March to the lowest level in more than 16 years.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 85.73, or 0.67 percent, to 12,848.95. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 8.89, or 0.64 percent, to 1,388.82, and the Nasdaq composite index advanced 23.71, or 0.99 percent, to 2,428.92.
