Stocks and exchange-traded funds started strong and kept marching Thursday as jobless claim numbers neared a 2009 low. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.1% though unemployment numbers released tomorrow could take the sheen off the upbeat data.

The Dow rose 204 points to finish the day at 10,006, its first close above 10,000 since Oct. 22. The Nasdaq rose 50 to 2105, and the S&P 500 climbed 20 to 1067.

The Labor Department reported that the number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits last week declined by more than economists had expected while total claims lasting more than one week also decreased.
Initial claims for jobless benefits fell by 20,000 in the week ended Oct. 31 to 512,000, their lowest level since Jan. 3. The previous week's level was revised to 532,000.

Retail sales grew 1.8% for October, lower than the 2% forecast.

Still, there was some concern among traders over new data showing U.S. productivity grew during the third quarter by the most in six years, a sign that employers continue to fire workers to save money.

Together, the reports were a mixed bag ahead of Friday's heavily watched October nonfarm payrolls report.

Financials picked up steam a day after the Federal Reserve chose to keep its key benchmark interest rate unchanged and signaled rates would remain low for a while. Techs also performed well after Cisco Systems reported better-than-expected third-quarter results and Research In Motion announced a stock buyback.

As of 2:47 p.m., crude oil futures were down slightly; front-month futures contracts trading on the Nymex dropped 53 cents to $79.87. For a detailed rundown on Thursday s trading session see our market story.

Winners

Small-cap stocks got a boost in the broad rally sending shares of the iShares Russell 2000 Index fund up 3.1%. The SPDR S&P Metals & Mining fund rose 3.2% as gold prices climbed as high as $1,095 an ounce.

Losers

The PowerShares DB Agriculture fund faded by 1.1% as food commodity prices dipped. The PowerShares DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund shed 0.5%.

Friday s Notebook

Earnings and Conference Calls
Aceto, Arbor Realty Trust, Bank Millennium, Blackstone Group, British Airways, Brookfield Asset Management, Central Vermont Public Service, Compton Petroleum, Constellation Energy Partners, Edison, Ember Resources, Exide, Fortress Investment Group, Halozyme, Inhibitex, Kelly Services, Knology, Kubota, Lafarge, LifePoint Hospitals, Magnetek, Perma-Fix Environmental Services, PMI Group, Presstek, Protection One, Rediff.com India, Smith & Nephew, Spectra Energy Partners, Sun Communities, Suncor Energy

Economic Data
8:30 a.m. Employment Situation
10:00 a.m. Wholesale Trade
3:00 p.m. Consumer Credit