U.S. stocks rose, with the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index posting its first three-day rally since April, as a drop in jobless claims and higher-than-forecast sales at some retailers bolstered confidence in the economy. Caterpillar Inc. and Alcoa Inc. climbed at least 0.9 percent after the Labor Department said initial jobless claims decreased by 21,000 to 454,000 in the week ended July 3, lower than the median economist estimate in a Bloomberg survey. J.C. Penney Co. and Limited Brands Inc. surged more than 1.9 percent after reporting June sales that beat estimates. The S&P 500 climbed 0.6 percent to 1,066.98 as of 9:33 a.m. in New York and European equities advanced after the International Monetary Fund increased its forecast for global economic growth. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 51.84 points, or 0.5 percent, to 10,070.12. “It’s very encouraging,” said Stanley Nabi, New York- based vice chairman of Silvercrest Asset Management Group, which manages $9 billion. “The combination of better-than-expected jobless claims and good numbers from some of the largest retailers removed some of the gloom from the market. It was also positive to see the IMF raising its estimates. I think we’re going to have very strong second-quarter earnings. That should support rising stock prices.” Rally After Slump U.S. stocks rallied yesterday, sending the S&P 500 up 3.1 percent for its biggest gain in six weeks, as banks advanced and retail-sales growth bolstered optimism that consumer spending is weathering a drop in confidence. Still, the S&P 500 remains 13 percent below its April 23 high after a sovereign debt-crisis in Europe rattled markets and economic reports from the U.S. and China suggested that the recovery is stalling. Economists had forecast jobless-benefit applications would fall to 460,000 from an initially reported 472,000 for the prior week, according to the median of 36 projections in a Bloomberg survey. The number of people receiving unemployment insurance dropped to the lowest point since 2008, while those getting emergency benefits also declined after Congress failed to pass legislation extending the assistance. The IMF’s higher forecast for global growth this year reflects a stronger-than-expected first half. The world economy will expand 4.6 percent in 2010, the biggest gain since 2007, compared with an April projection of 4.2 percent. Growth next year is projected to be 4.3 percent. Caterpillar gained 0.9 percent to $62.74, while Alcoa jumped 1.7 percent to $10.73. J.C. Penney, Limited J.C. Penney gained 10 percent to $24.05. The third-biggest U.S. department-store chain said June comparable store sales rose 4.5 percent, beating Retail Metrics’ estimate of a 3.7 percent increase. Limited Brands rose 1.9 percent to $24.14. The owner of Victoria’s Secret lingerie stores said June comparable store sales rose 6 percent, beating Retail Metrics’ estimate of a 3.2 percent increase. Alcoa Inc. is due to unofficially start the second-quarter earnings season next week. Profits for S&P 500 companies are projected to have increased 34 percent in the April-June period and by the same amount in 2010, according to analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg. To contact the reporter on this story: Rita Nazareth in New York at rnazareth@bloomberg.net

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