A rally in financial shares and signs of improvement in the U.S. retail sector boosted stocks Thursday, but gains were limited by concerns ahead of Friday"s government jobs report. In economic news, U.S. jobless claims rose last week, and the number of Americans continuing to receive unemployment benefits fell to 4.8 million. On Friday, the Labor Department is expected to report that employers cut 35,000 jobs after cutting 11,000 in November. The unemployment rate is expected to hold steady at 10 percent. Late-season holiday shoppers helped U.S. chain retailers, increasing December sales by 2.9 percent a year after retail sales fell 3.6 percent at the peak of the recession. The U.S. dollar gained versus the euro and the yen, pressuring dollar-traded commodities. Light sweet crude for February delivery fell 52 cents to $82.66 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange after ending the previous session at a 15-month high. Gold for February delivery fell $2.80 to $1,133.70. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 33.18, or 0.3 percent, to 10,606.86. Gainers included Boeing, General Electric, and financial firms Bank of America and J.P. Chase Morgan. The broader Standard & Poor"s 500 index rose 4.54, or 0.4 percent, to 1,141.68. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index was little changed, falling 1.04 to 2,300.05. The New York Stock Exchange composite index rose 16.23 to 7,393.93. The American Stock Exchange rose 1.10 to 1,868.02. And the Russell 2000 index rose 4.02 to 641.97.
