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Stocks Rise on Better-Than-Expected Reading on Jobless Claims, Possible GM Labor Deal
Stocks opened higher Thursday after fewer-than-expected workers sought unemployment benefits last week and on a possible agreement between automakers and workers over health care costs. The Dow Jones industrial average rose more than 100 points.
The Labor Department reported claims for unemployment benefits rose by 4,000 last week to 319,000 -- the sixth increase in seven weeks -- but the number was less than the 325,000 claims analysts expected. Low unemployment, at 4.6 percent, has been one of the economy's strengths. |
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