US Stocks Edge Up after Jobless Claims Drop

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NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks moved slightly higher in early afternoon trading Thursday after the government reported that the number of people applying for unemployment benefits sank last week, a sign that employers are laying off fewer people. Hillshire Brands soared after Tyson Foods made a rival bid for the company.

KEEPING SCORE: The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose four points, or 0.2 percent, to 1,914 as of 1 p.m., three points above its record close of 1,911 reached on Tuesday. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 15 points, or 0.1 percent, to 16,648 and the Nasdaq composite rose 12 points, or 0.3 percent, to 4,237.

TASTES LIKE CHICKEN: Hillshire Brands shot up $7.65, or 17 percent, to $52.46. Chicken company Tyson Foods made a $6.2 billion offer for the deli meats and hotdog maker, two days after Pilgrim’s Pride bid $5.58 billion for the company. Hillshire is already trading above Tyson’s offer of $50 per share. Tyson also rose on the news. The stock gained $3.09, or 8 percent, to $43.85.

HUNGRY HUNGRY INVESTORS: Other food companies also rose following the Hillshire Brands news as traders anticipated more deals and possibly more bidding wars. Jam and jelly maker J.M. Smucker rose $1.80, or 2 percent, to $102.42. Hormel Foods, which makes Spam, rose 87 cents, or 2 percent, to $48.58.

M&A LEADS THE WAY: While the overall stock market has moved little this year, one theme that continues to play out is the large amount of corporate deals being announced. Apple said late Wednesday it was buying Beats Headphones for $3 billion, and now there’s a bidding war for Hillshire Brands.

“It’s an encouraging sign because companies see the economy improving,” said Joe Tanious, a global markets strategist with J.P. Morgan Asset Management. “Last thing you want to do as a large company is use your cash to buy a company when you have an uncertain outlook on the economy.”

WRONG WAY: News on the economy was mixed. The Commerce Department said Thursday that the U.S. economy shrank at an annual rate of 1 percent in the first three months of the year, worse than the government’s initial estimate a month ago of growth of 0.1 percent. The contraction was partly due to the severe weather in January and February, economists said. Investors expect the economy should rebound in the April-June period. However, the government also said the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits dropped last week to 300,000, according to the Labor Department. The less-volatile four-week average fell to 311,500, the lowest since August 2007.

BONDS: The yield on the 10-year Treasury note traded at 2.43 percent, down slightly from Wednesday. Bond yields have been trading at lows not seen in a year, as foreign buyers have jumped into U.S. Treasurys. Most investors believe this recent downward movement in bond yields is temporary. The Federal Reserve, the biggest buyer of Treasurys for the last few years, is slowly exiting the market and the economy is improving.

“The 10-year Treasury has everyone scratching their heads,” Tanious said.

 

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