U.S. stocks rose strongly Thursday, reversing a four-session losing run, after a government report said the economy grew more than expected in the July-September quarter.  Investors shunned Treasuries and jumped back into stocks after the report signaled the economy had emerged from the worst recession since the 1930s. 

The positive surprise was enough to propel benchmark indexes to their biggest advance since July and send safe havens like Treasuries and dollar lower.  Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) and Alcoa Inc. (NYSE:AA) advanced at least 5.1% after the Commerce Department said the economy returned to growth following four straight quarters of decline.  Crude prices jumped $2.44, or 3.1%, to $79.87 and gold was up $16.50 to $1046.40.

The S&P 500 registered its biggest one-day gain since July 23, jumping 2.2% to close at 1,066.11.  The 30-share Dow Jones industrial average shot up by 199.89 points, or 2.05%, at 9,962.58 and the tech-heavy

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Clorox Co. (CLX) reported fiscal fourth-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.25 per share, topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate by more than 4%.

The consumer products maker said sales remained almost constant at $1.5 billion.

Total volumes fell 2% due to the impact of price increases and the company's exit from its private-label food bags business.

Meanwhile, Clorox continues to expect earnings between $4.00 and $4.15 per share for the year ending June 2010.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate is at $4.18 per share, derived from 14 covering analysts, which has remained steady over the past 2 months.

CLX, a Zacks #3 Rank ("Hold") stock, has slipped about 3% so far today on volume of nearly 2.9 million, which is greater than the average daily volume of about 1.25 million.

"CLX" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?Zacks Investment Research

Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) shares fell the most in a year on Monday after the company announced the retirement of one of its best-known leaders, Susan Arnold, as president for global business units of the world's largest consumer-products maker.

Arnold has been with the company for 29 years, and was long considered as a forerunner to take over the Chief Executive post from A.G. Lafley, who is close to his mandatory retirement age. P&G said, “It has long been her intention to step down upon her 55th birthday,” a milestone Arnold attained last Sunday.

Arnold was the first woman to become president at P&G and was credited with expanding the company's beauty business to $20 billion from $7 billion after being appointed as head of the unit in 1999. She steps down as president with immediate effect but will continue to serve in a special assignment

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Procter & Gamble (PG) declared that sales will be lower than expected in the second quarter due to the waning economy.

The leading consumer-products maker said that organic sales growth, excluding the impact of acquisitions, divestitures and foreign exchange, would miss its estimated range of 4% to 6%.

PG expects annual organic sales growth between 4% and 6%.

For the fiscal second quarter, the Cincinnati-based company is expecting earnings of $1.58 to $1.63. PG has forecasted earnings between $4.28 and $4.38 per share for the year.

Analysts expect the company to earn a profit of $1.56 in the current quarter and $4.28 this year.

PG is a Zacks #3 Rank ("Hold") company.

"PG" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?Zacks Investment Research