Stocks gained slightly at the end of a volatile session Thursday, as investors ignored the latest U.S. jobless claims report and awaited Google's quarterly results after the markets closed. Stocks initially fell after the Labor Department reported that jobless claims unexpectedly jumped 24,000 last week to 484,000, the highest level since mid-February. In other economic news, a private report said there were more than 930,000 U.S. foreclosure filings in the first quarter, up 7 percent from the previous quarter and 16 percent from a year earlier. The U.S. dollar rose versus the euro and fell versus the yen. Light sweet crude oil for June delivery fell 34 cents to $85.50 a barrel. Gold rose 70 cents to $1,159.70 an ounce. United Parcel Service (UPS) reported higher profits, and shares of the company—seen as a barometer of the U.S. and international economies—jumped 5.2 percent. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 21.46, or 0.2 percent, to 11,144.57. Shares of Citigroup fell 2.4 percent. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 1.02, or 0.1 percent, to 1,211.67. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index rose 10.83, or 0.4 percent, to 2,515.69. Shares of Yahoo jumped 3.2 percent.
