Jobs, Productivity Data Buoy Stocks By Marco Hague About this article: Equity Futures: Dow +105.00. S&P +7.80. Nasdaq +11.50. Japan Nikkei +40.00. German DAX +10.00. U.S. Trade: A drop in initial jobless claims and higher productivity helped the major U.S. indexes climb in Thursday trade. Since the recovery phase began, investors have seen the labor market as one of the biggest threats to economic recovery. Increasing unemployment means lower forward consumption in an economy historically driven by a fast-paced consumer. On this basis, the sizeable 20,000 drop in weekly unemployment claims was interpreted as a bullish sign, for those who view the glass as half-full and ahead of non-farm payroll data due for release tomorrow morning at 8.30am EDT. The pessimistic view was that the four- and 10-week averages were, literally, off the charts at +500,000 claimants, and the bears will no doubt have their day with that headline. However, today was not to be that day, and... Or, call us at 1-866-321-TSCM (8726) Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. ET. Outside the U.S. and in Canada, call 1-212-321-5200. More Stories From RealMoney Durable Goods Up Move Down the Tech Food Chain Jobless Claims Still High Bulls' Tenacity Is the Big Question Mark Should You Buy It? Pharmaceutical Product Development Bad News Trumps All Support for Banks Holds, For Now Bummer, Yields Are on the Rise Money on the Line Makes a Big Difference Structured Products: Unsafe at Any Price MORE STORIES FROM REALMONEY

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