* Jobless claims fall, durable goods orders rise
* Apple closes at record high
* Session ends early for Christmas Eve
* All three major U.S. stock indexes end at 2009 highs
* Dow up 0.5 pct, S&P 500 up 0.5 pct, Nasdaq up 0.7 pct
* For up-to-the-minute market news, click STXNEWS/US
(Updates with volume and stocks' gains for 2009)
By Leah Schnurr
NEW YORK, Dec 24 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rallied in a
brief pre-holiday session on Thursday, closing at 2009 highs,
after data showing a drop in initial jobless claims and growth
in durable goods orders suggested an economic recovery was
picking up steam.
Stocks racked up a fifth day of gains on light volume
before the Christmas holiday. After finishing early for
Christmas Eve on Thursday, markets will be closed on Friday.
Data showed initial jobless claims fell more than forecast
last week to the lowest tally since September 2008, while a
separate report showed durable goods orders, excluding
transportation, surged 2.0 percent, beating expectations. For
details, []
The reports were "more wind at the market's back," said
Michael James, senior trader at regional investment bank
Wedbush Morgan in Los Angeles.
Stocks that have performed well this year received an
extra lift from year-end window dressing as portfolio managers
sold laggards to buy shares that have rallied recently. Apple
Inc <AAPL.O>, which has gained 144.9 percent this year, closed
at a record high -- up 3.4 percent at $209.04. Earlier in the
abbreviated session, which ended at 1 p.m., Apple also hit a
fresh intraday high of $209.35.
"There's far more people who have gains on a lot of names
this year, who are less likely to want to sell," James said.
The Dow Jones industrial average <> gained 53.66
points, or 0.51 percent, to end at 10,520.10. The Standard &
Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> gained 5.89 points, or 0.53 percent,
to finish at 1,126.48. The Nasdaq Composite Index <> rose
16.05 points, or 0.71 percent, to close at 2,285.69.
NASDAQ UP 45 PERCENT FOR 2009
For the week, the Dow gained 1.9 percent, the S&P 500 rose
2.2 percent, and the Nasdaq jumped 3.4 percent, capping its
longest winning streak since October.
With the Dow setting a 14-month closing high on Thursday,
the blue-chip average is up 19.9 percent for 2009.
The S&P 500, which also finished Thursday's abbreviated
session at a 14-month high, is up 24.7 percent for the year.
The Nasdaq -- ending at a 15-month closing high on
Thursday -- is up an eye-catching 45 percent for 2009.
In Thursday's session, Apple's stock also got a boost as
excitement intensified over the expected release of its tablet
computer. []
Healthcare was the lone S&P 500 sector to end slightly
lower after the U.S. Senate approved an overhaul measure
Thursday morning. []
Health insurer Cigna Corp <CI.N> slipped 0.4 percent to
$36.33, and the Morgan Stanley Healthcare Payor Index <.HMO>
declined 0.3 percent.
Health insurers and related stocks have rallied recently
as legislation appeared less ominous for the sector than
originally feared. But the Senate health bill must be
reconciled with the measure approved recently by the U.S.
House of Representatives, adding to uncertainty.
The U.S. dollar <.DXY> dipped 0.08 percent against a
basket of major currencies, which helped push commodity prices
higher. That, in turn, lifted shares of natural resource
companies. Shares of steelmaker Nucor Corp <NUE.N> gained 2.2
percent to $47.10.
Volume was light on the New York Stock Exchange, with only
319.3 million shares changing hands, sharply below last year's
estimated daily average of 1.49 billion. On the Nasdaq, about
613.8 million shares traded, also well below last year's daily
average of 2.28 billion.
Advancing stocks outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by
a ratio of 3 to 1, while on the Nasdaq, eight stocks rose for
nearly every five that fell.
(Reporting by Leah Schnurr; Editing by Jan Paschal)
