MW:U.S. stocks stretch toward records after claims
By Laura Mandaro
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stock futures Thursday held to gains, and those for the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA +0.95% pushed higher, after the Labor Department reported a rise in weekly jobless claims but again said the results were skewed by delays from states updating their computer systems. The December contract for the Dow average DJZ3 +0.87% was up 25 points at 15,619 versus an 18-point rise ahead of the 8:30 a.m. report. The S&P 500 contract SPZ3 +0.27% rose 4.9 points to 1,722, in line with prior gains. The Nasdaq 100 futures NDZ3 +1.21% rose 9.3 points to 3,231. The Dow and S&P 500 closed Wednesday at records.
