U.S. stocks rose for a fifth day on Thursday as a larger than expected drop in U.S. jobless claims and an upbeat forecast from consumer goods maker Procter & Gamble added to enthusiasm that the economy is on track for a rebound.  Energy shares advanced, helped by rising forecasts for oil demand.  Nevertheless, given September’s weak track record, market participants have been bracing for a pullback.

On Thursday, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 80.26 points, or 0.8%, to 9,627.48, its highest close since October 6.  The broader S&P 500 index advanced 10.77 points, or 1%, to 1,044.14, its first five-day climb since November.  The Nasdaq composite index rose 23.63 points, or 1.2%, to 2,084.02.  With traders eschewing safe havens, yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell to 3.35%. The yield on the 30-year notes declined to 4.20%.

As the holiday-shortened week comes to an end today, investors

...

Red Hat’s Purchase; Toll Bros. NYC Worries; Dollar Rally; Unilever’s New CEO; Fed President Sees Room for Cut; Boeing’s Labor Woes Red Hat Inc. (RHT) yesterday (Thursday) announced it had purchased privately held software company Qumranet Inc. for $107 million in cash. The Raleigh-based software distrubutor expects the purchase to knock 5 to 6 cents off of its annual earnings per share, The Associated Press reported. Red Hat expects the deal to add $20 million in revenue by the next fiscal year. Homebuilder Toll Brothers Inc. (TOL) admitted to concerns about the New York City condo market, which has been one of the last holdouts of the current U.S. housing recession. “It has felt some of the storm that’s come to the residential real estate market in the country,” Chief Executive Bob ...