Stocks pushed upward during Thursday trading, helped by lessening unemployment and Alcoa's better than expected report.
From Alexandra Twin, CNN Money:
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Wall Street held onto slight gains Thursday afternoon after aluminum producer Alcoa posted a smaller-than-expected quarterly loss and first-time jobless claims came in well below consensus.
But gains were limited by continued concerns about the economic outlook.
With less than three hours left in the session, the Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) added 13 points, or 0.2%. The S&P 500 (SPX) index rose five points, or 0.6%. The Nasdaq (COMP) rose 12 points, or 0.7%.
