The Market On Thursday

Good morning. It is 40 degrees and cloudy here in Upstate NY. We are expecting anything from rain to a monster Nor'easter. As they say, if you don't like the weather (in the Northeast), just wait a minute.

At 8:50 a.m. futures are flat, the dollar is mostly down or flat, and oil is up.

The weekly first time unemployment claims number was up a tad to 388,000. This was disappointing.

The big news will be tomorrow's government numbers on employment in March. Investors seem less concerned about the shape of the world and seem somewhat pleased with how the economy in America is shaping up. Let's face it, with the DOW over 12,000 and approaching 12,500 the numbers speak volumes.

We are due for an off day or two.

CNN: Stocks on edge with jobs in focus

"I think the anticipation is that the job market is improving..."


The government's weekly jobless claims report showed a decline of 6,000 claims to 388,000 in the week ended March 26, which was slightly more than expected.


Oil for May delivery gained $1.03 to $105.30 a barrel.