After sliding for two successive days, stocks managed to find some footing and ended Thursday with impressive gains as companies from McDonald’s to PNC Financial reported solid quarterly earnings.  A mixed bag of economic reports notwithstanding, the Dow average once again scaled the 10,000 mark as components Travelers Cos, 3M Co., and AT&T Inc. posted stronger-than-expected results.

Investors, looking for bargains, picked up financial shares as many banks noted lower loan losses.  Travelers (NYSE:TRV) surged almost 8% after reporting a three-fold jump in quarterly profit.  Travelers, together with McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD), led the Dow average higher.  AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T), also a Dow component, rose 0.6% after reporting better-than-expected profit.

The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 132 points, or 1.3%, to close at 10,081.31 and the S&P 500 index rose 11 points, or 1%.  The tech-heavy NASDAQ, limited by late-session, downward guidance from eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY), gained 14 points, or 0.7%.

The

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As traditional print media continues its steep declines in advertising sales and circulation, publishers are struggling to come up with new and creative ways to generate revenue.

Ad revenues in the newspaper industry plunged 16.7% last year to $37.8 million r, according to the Newspaper Association of America (NAA). The 2009 take is estimated to fall another 17.3% to $31.6 billion according to Alan Mutter, a Silicon Valley executive who once lead the newsrooms of the Chicago Sun-Times and San Francisco Chronicle and now writes a blog titled “Reflections of a Newsosaur.”

Mutter’s estimate would put ad revenues at their lowest levels since 1965, when the industry took in $4.42 billion, or $30.22 billion when adjusted for inflation, the Columbia Journalism Review (CJR) reported.

While the worst economic downturn since World War II has eviscerated the fortunes of print media companies like The New York Times Co. (NYSE:

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Here are the stocks added to the Zacks #1 Rank ("strong buy") List today:

American Italian Pasta Co (AIPC) AudioCodes Ltd (AUDC) Broadpoint Gleacher Securities Group Inc (BPSG) Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp (CTSH) Corinthian Colleges Inc (COCO) The Corporate Executive Board Co (EXBD) DRI Corp (TBUS) El Paso Corp (EP) EnerSys (ENS) Fairchild Semiconductor International (FCS) Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc (FDP) Fuel Systems Solutions Inc (FSYS) Genoptix Inc (GXDX) HF Financial Corp (HFFC) HLTH Corp (HLTH) Impax Laboratories Inc (IPXL) Jones ...

Here are the stocks added to the Zacks #1 Rank ("strong buy") List today:

3Com Corp (COMS) 3M Co (MMM) American Software Inc (AMSWA) Baidu Inc (BIDU) Buckeye GP Holdings LP (BGH) CA Inc (CA) Carlisle Companies Inc (CSL) CarMax Inc (KMX) Carter's Inc (CRI) Cheesecake Factory Inc (CAKE) Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc (CMG.B) Coach Inc (COH) Ctrip.com International Ltd (CTRP) Digi International Inc (DGII) Dresser-Rand Group Inc (DRC) F5 Networks Inc (FFIV) First Financial Holdings Inc (FFCH) ...

Here are the stocks added to the Zacks #5 Rank ("strong sell") List today:

Agrium Inc (AGU) Benchmark Electronics Inc (BHE) Blyth Inc (BTH) Brandywine Realty Trust (BDN) Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc (BBW) Callaway Golf Co (ELY) Ciena Corp (CIEN) Cincinnati Financial Corp (CINF) Cintas Corp (CTAS) Denison Mines Corp (DNN) DRI Corp (TBUS) Ethan Allen Interiors Inc (ETH) Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc (FDP) Georgia Gulf Corp (GGC) Harsco Corp (HSC) IMS Health Inc (RX) Independent Bank Corp (IBCP) Integra Bank Corp (IBNK) Irwin Financial Corp (IFC) ITT Corp (ITT) Kelly Services Inc (KELYA) Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP (KMP) Legacy Bancorp Inc (LEGC) Liberty Property Trust (LRY) LSI Industries Inc (LYTS) MSC Industrial Direct Co Inc (MSM) Norfolk Southern Corp (NSC) ...

The New York Times Co. (NYT) seems sickened with troubles at its Boston Globe unit. A day after its largest union filed with regulators to contest a 23% pay cut, the parent body reportedly initiated efforts to sell the 137-year-old newspaper.

The Boston Globe reported in its Wednesday edition that the Times Co. has hired investment bank Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to approach potential buyers for the struggling broadsheet and will seek bids through the next few weeks.

A representative of the Times Co. said, "Because we have achieved the $20 million in savings we needed, we do not foresee closure at this time and are focused on executing The Globe's turnaround plan."

The largest labor union Boston Newspaper Guild rejected $10 million in concessions aimed at cutting costs at the newspaper earlier this week. The Times Co. has however been able to get major

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Here are the stocks added to the Zacks #5 Rank ("strong sell") List today:

ABB Ltd (ABB) Bancolombia SA (CIB) Berkshire Hills Bancorp Inc (BHLB) BRT Realty Trust (BRT) Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc (BBW) Callaway Golf Co (ELY) CoBiz Financial Inc (COBZ) Corn Products International Inc (CPO) Cumulus Media Inc (CMLS) Discover Financial Services (DFS) Dover Saddlery Inc (DOVR) DRI Corp (TBUS) EMS Technologies Inc (ELMG) Entertainment Properties Trust (EPR) Ethan Allen Interiors Inc (ETH) FNB United Corp (FNBN) Heritage Financial Corp (HFWA) Independent Bank Corp (IBCP) Insteel Industries Inc (IIIN) Integra Bank Corp (IBNK) Itron Inc (ITRI) Kaman Corp (KAMN) KEMET Corp (KEME) Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP (KMP) Lennox International Inc (LII) Live Nation Inc (LYV) LSI Industries Inc (LYTS) NOVA ...

Here are the stocks added to the Zacks #5 Rank ("strong sell") List today:

A-Power Energy Generation Systems Ltd (APWR) Aon Corp (AOC) The Bank of New York Mellon Corp (BK) Blyth Inc (BTH) Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc (BBW) Callaway Golf Co (ELY) Cincinnati Financial Corp (CINF) Cleco Corp (CNL) CONMED Corp (CNMD) Daimler AG (DAI) Domtar Corp (UFS) DRI Corp (TBUS) Eastman Kodak Co (EK) EMS Technologies Inc (ELMG) Exelon Corp (EXC) Expeditors International of Washington (EXPD) First State Bancorp NM (FSNM) FNB United Corp (FNBN) Gaiam Inc (GAIA) Gran Tierra Energy Inc (GTE) GreenHunter Energy Inc (GRH) Haverty Furniture Companies Inc (HVT) Independent Bank Corp (IBCP) Integra Bank Corp (IBNK) Investment Technology Group (ITG) ITT Corp (ITT) Kaman Corp (KAMN) Kelly ...

Here are the stocks added to the Zacks #5 Rank ("strong sell") List today:

ABB Ltd (ABB) Actuant Corp (ATU) Allegheny Energy Inc (AYE) Benchmark Electronics Inc (BHE) Blyth Inc (BTH) Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc (BBW) Cincinnati Financial Corp (CINF) Cleco Corp (CNL) CONMED Corp (CNMD) Dassault Systemes SA (DASTY) Einstein Noah Restaurant Group Inc (BAGL) Electronics For Imaging Inc (EFII) EMS Technologies Inc (ELMG) EnerSys (ENS) Eni SpA (E) Enstar Group Ltd (ESGR) Expeditors International of Washington (EXPD) FNB United Corp (FNBN) Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc (FDP) The Hain Celestial Group Inc (HAIN) Harleysville Group Inc (HGIC) Hartford Financial Services (HIG) Haverty Furniture Companies Inc (HVT) Heritage Financial Corp (HFWA) I-Flow Corp (IFLO) Independent Bank Corp (IBCP) Investment Technology Group (ITG) ...

Here are the stocks added to the Zacks #5 Rank ("strong sell") List today:

The Allstate Corp (ALL) American River Bankshares (AMRB) Argo Group International Holdings Ltd (AGII) Aventine Renewable Energy Holdings Inc (AVRNQ) BancTrust Financial Group Inc (BTFG) Benchmark Electronics Inc (BHE) Bristow Group Inc (BRS) BRT Realty Trust (BRT) C&D Technologies Inc (CHP) Callaway Golf Co (ELY) Columbus McKinnon Corp (CMCO) Comtech Telecommunications Corp (CMTL) Connecticut Water Service Inc (CTWS) Credicorp Ltd (BAP) Cybex International Inc (CYBI) Cynosure Inc (CYNO) Dayton Superior Corp (DSUPQ) Enterprise Financial Services Corp (EFSC) Entertainment Properties Trust (EPR) Ethan Allen Interiors Inc (ETH) Fuel Tech Inc (FTEK) Gannett Co Inc (GCI) Harleysville Group Inc (HGIC) Hartford Financial Services (HIG) Haverty Furniture Companies Inc (HVT) Independent Bank Corp ...