Stocks rose Thursday, building on the recent market advance, as investors welcomed an upgrade of Intel, lower commodity prices, and improved earnings forecasts from Wal-Mart and DuPont. In company news, Yahoo and time Warner's AOL (American Online) are reportedly in talks to combine their internet operations, in a move that would challenge Microsoft's attempt to buy Yahoo. In response, Microsoft is now talking with News Corp. about a joint bid for Yahoo. Meanwhile, Yahoo also is looking at a potential advertising deal with Google. In economic news, the U.S. trade deficit unexpectedly widened in February, with imports outweighing exports. A second report showed the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week. Light sweet crude for May delivery fell 79 cents to $110.11 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold futures fell slightly. The U.S. dollar fell versus the euro and rose versus the yen. The dollar briefly hit a record low versus the euro before rebounding. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 54.72, or 0.4 percent, to 12,581.98. Shares of Wal-Mart Stores rose nearly 1 percent after the world's biggest retailer said that first-quarter earnings would top forecasts. Shares of chemical giant DuPont rose over 1 percent on a positive earnings forecast. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 6.06, or 0.45 percent, to 1,360.55. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index rose 29.58, or 1.3 percent, to 2,351.70. Intel shares rose after the chipmaker's shares were upgraded by Banc of America. The upgrade, as well as negotiations between Yahoo, Time Warner, Microsoft, News Corp., and Google boosted the technology sector. The New York Stock Exchange composite index rose 22.04 to 9,096.86. The American Stock Exchange composite index rose 7.80 to 2,270.36. And the Russell 2000 index rose 9.04 to 707.42.
