Thursday

Today, stocks fell for just the second time in 10 trading sessions as major indexes took a small breather from this week's rally. Though most economic news has been favorable for stocks lately, the latest data were mixed. Housing starts rose a less-than-expected 1.5% compared to the prior month, the Commerce Department reported, as single-family home construction fell and groundbreakings on new apartment buildings rebounded. On a more promising note, the number of workers filing new claims for jobless benefits fell 12,000 last week to 545,000. Economists had expected an increase. DJIA -7.79 S&P 500 -3.27 NASDAQ -6.4