Thursday

U.S. stocks charged higher today, sending blue-chip shares up by the most in three months. A strong reading on employment and a drop in the price of oil helped investors breathe a sigh of relief. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1.6%, its biggest gain since December 1 of last year. The index gained for the fourth time in five days after Wall Street received good news ahead of Friday's closely watched payrolls report. The Labor Department reported that the number of workers filing new unemployment claims unexpectedly fell to the lowest level since May 2008. DJIA +191.40 Nasdaq +50.67 S&P 500 +22.53.