The Dow Jones industrials average cleared the 9,000 mark Thursday for the first time since January 6.
the Dow closed up more than 187 points for the trading session to 9,068.91. The Dow Jones industrials closed at 9,015.10 on January 6.
The day's earnings news was generally positive. Ford surprised the market with a second-quarter profit of $2.3 billion, while drugmaker Wyeth, cigarette maker Philip Morris and candy maker Hershey all raised their profit forecasts for the year.
UPS, however, said its second-quarter profit plunged 49 percent as sales tumbled.
Meanwhile, the government says new jobless claims rose more than expected last week, though the report was distorted by the timing of auto plant shutdowns.
Portions of an Associated Press story were used in this report
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