Jobless Claims Drop. Service industries expanded in February at the fastest pace since 2005 and fewer Americans unexpectedly filed claims for jobless benefits, adding to evidence the U.S. recovery is gaining strength. The Institute for Supply Management’s index of non-manufacturing businesses increased to 59.7 last month from 59.4 in January. A reading above 50 signals growth. The number of initial applications for unemployment insurance payments fell by 20,000 to 368,000 last week, the lowest since May 2008 and fewer than the most optimistic forecast in a Bloomberg News survey, figures from the Labor Department showed.
Stocks rose as the figures supported the Federal Reserve’s assessment that the labor market is on the mend following the loss of 8.75 million positions during the recession. Brighter prospects about personal finances are bolstering consumer confidence, another report showed, increasing the odds that Americans will keep spending at stores like J.C. Penney Co. and Macy’s Inc. See more about Jobless Claims Drop.
“You’re getting a picture of an economy that is quite strong already and perhaps gathering momentum,” said Stephen Stanley, chief economist at Pierpont Securities LLC in Stamford, Connecticut. “Sentiment has been picking up over the last two or three months and that stands to reason -- the stock market has done better, the economy has certainly done better, and, most importantly, the labor market is improving.” The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rose 1.7 percent to 1,330.97 at the 4 p.m. close in New York for its biggest gain in three months. The index is up 21 percent in the past six months. Source: businessweek.com