Stocks Inch Higher

• October 4, 2007
• TradingMarkets Editors

Stocks closed fractionally higher on Thursday, ahead of tomorrow’s monthly employment report. In Europe, the ECB and the BoE left interest rates unchanged at 4% and 5.75% respectively.

Among today’s stocks on the move, China Natural Resources
(
CHNR |
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PowerRating) is continuing its recent surge, hitting a new all-time high (read more), Bois D’Arc Energy
(
BDE |
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PowerRating) hit a new high after announcing it drilled two more successful wells (read more), Immucor
(
BLUD |
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PowerRating) is at a new high following its earnings report (read more).

Moving in the opposite direction, Varian Semiconductor
(
VSEA |
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PowerRating) is extending yesterday’s decline (read more) and Casual Male Retail Group
(
CMRG |
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PowerRating) fell to its lowest level in 18-months (read more).

Treasuries rose, the U.S. dollar closed lower versus the euro, while crude oil and gold finished higher.

Stocks in the News

International Speedway Q3 Profit Falls 72%; Lowers FY07 Adj. EPS Outlook (read more). CVS Caremark ( CVS | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) September Same Store Sales Rise 5% (read more). For more stocks on the move, go to our Breaking News section.

Market Snapshot

Dow 6.26 13974.31 NASDAQ 4.14 2733.57 S&P 500 3.25 1542.84   NYSE NASDAQ Volume 1,100,662,820 1,744,417,156 Up Volume 650,286,200 901,677,103 Down Volume 432,918,620 814,783,241 Advances 2039 1648 Declines 1224 1278 New Highs 81 116 New Lows 24 50

Strongest/Weakest Industry Groups

Strongest Industries % Change Weakest Industries % Change Semiconductor – Memory Chips +2.84% Consumer Services -5.31% Foreign Money Center Banks +2.77% Beverages – Brewers -4.59% Gaming Activities +2.73% Toy & Hobby Stores -4.29%

Economic News

Initial Jobless Claims (9/29): Actual 317K, Consensus 310K Factory Orders (Aug): Actual -3.3%, Consensus -2.8%