Wall St continues winning streak

US stocks rose on Thursday, extending their gains from the day before, after reports on housing, manufacturing and jobs all indicated that the economy continues to grow.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 50 points, having jumped 254 on Wednesday thanks to strong reports on manufacturing in the US and China. Broader indices also rose.

Trading was somewhat muted ahead of the government's closely watched monthly report on employment due out Friday.

"We're treading water," said Dan Genter, CEO of RNC Genter Capital. Traders are waiting to see whether Friday's jobs data "provides more of a rescue or a shark attack."

The monthly report is likely to provide further evidence that the jobs market remains weak. Economists polled by Thomson Reuters predict the unemployment rate inched up to 9.6 per cent last month from 9.5 per cent in July as private employers hired just 41,000 workers last month.

With little broad conviction about the health of the economy, investors chose to target specific stocks following monthly retail sales reports and the latest acquisition activity.

"It's a trader's market," said Kenneth Polcari, managing director at ICAP Equities.

Burger King Holdings and data storage provider 3Par both rose after agreeing to be acquired. Limited Brands, which operates Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works, got a lift from strong August sales.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 50.63, or 0.5 per cent, to close at 10,320.10.

Broader indices also rose. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 9.81, or 0.9 per cent, to 1,090.10, while the Nasdaq composite index rose 23.17, or 1.1 per cent, to 2,200.01.

The Labor Department said first-time claims for unemployment benefits fell slightly last week, but remain well above levels that indicate a healthy economy. Claims dipped for the second straight week. They fell slightly below the level economists had forecast, which was somewhat encouraging ahead of Friday's monthly employment report.

The number of buyers who signed contracts to purchase homes rose 5.2 per cent in July after hitting a record low in June, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Sales plummeted in the months following the expiration of the government's home buyer tax credit in April and economists were expecting that trend to continue for a third straight month.

Factory orders also climbed, rising 0.1 per cent in July. The rise in orders backs up a report Wednesday showing the manufacturing sector continues to expand. Major indices jumped more than two per cent Wednesday after a surprising rise in manufacturing activity.

About two stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume was light at 960 million shares.

Bond prices dipped after the economic reports. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, rose to 2.63 per cent from 2.58 per cent late on Wednesday. That yield helps set interest rates on mortgages and other consumer loans.

Limited shares jumped US$1.46, or 6.0 per cent, to US$25.73.

Shares of 3Par rose 79 cents, or 2.5 per cent, to US$32.87 after Hewlett-Packard won a bidding war for the data storage provider. Hewlett-Packard raised its bid to US$33 per share after competitor Dell offered US$32 per share.

Burger King jumped US$4.72, or 25 per cent, to US$23.58. It is being taken private for US$3.26 billion, or US$24 per share.

Mariner Energy shares dropped after an oil rig it owns exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. The rig was not currently producing oil. Its shares fell 59 cents to US$22.76.

- AP