Stocks surge; Hewlett-Packard leads Dow higher

Encouraging signs from two of the most important zones of the world economy, the powerhouse of China and the debt-burdened countries of Europe, drove the U.S. stock market Thursday to one of its best days this year.

Lower euro-zone yields, China GDP view lift Wall Street

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rose more than 1 percent on Thursday as lower Italian bond yields eased some euro-zone concerns and rumors about China's strong GDP growth bolstered investors' appetite for risk. The S&P 500 popped above its 50-day moving average in a sign that traders may see the recent pullback of nearly 5 percent as an opportunity to catch up with the benchmark's performance. The index is up more than 10 percent for the year to date. ...

S&P 500 posts best week in nine (Reuters)

Reuters - The S&P 500 posted its best week in nine on Friday as the market defied calls for a pullback, and investors rotated into defensive and lagging sectors in a move that could intensify in coming weeks.

Gloomy investors ignore plump profits, dump stocks (AP)

AP - Profit is so boring.

Stocks rally on economic data, Cisco (Reuters)

Reuters - U.S. stocks jumped on Thursday, pushing the S&P 500 up for a fourth day, as economic data boosted confidence in the recovery and strong results from Cisco Systems suggested a rebound in technology spending.