MW:Stock futures maintain rally amid economic data
By Kate Gibson
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stock futures held strong gains Thursday as investors took in a slew of economic reports, which proved largely in line with expectations. The government said the U.S. economy grew 2.5% in the third quarter and claims for jobless benefits slipped by 2,000 to 402,000 last week. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJ1Z +1.94% added 225 points to 12,027. Those for the S&P 500 Index SP1Z +2.57% rose 29.30 to 1,266.70, and futures for the Nasdaq 100 ND1Z +2.27% advanced 49.5 points to 2,376.
