Hewlett-Packard, Home Depot and Coca-Cola led the Dow’s ascent Thursday. The S&P 500 added fractional gains and the Nasdaq shed some points. Trading was mixed amid continued euro zone uncertainty and a variety of economic news. Durable goods orders moved up in April. The Department of Commerce said new orders edged up 0.2%, from March’s 3.7% dip. Economists had expected a 0.5% increase. Discounting transportation, new orders slipped 0.6%. On another note, the Labor Department said initial jobless claims hit 370,000 last week. The prior week’s claims were revised up from 370,000 to 372,000. Elsewhere, crude oil tacked on 76 cents to settle at $90.66 a barrel.
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