Mar. 18, 2010 (United Press International) -- U.S. markets edged higher Thursday morning, aiming for an eighth consecutive day of gains as two government reports showed signs of economic stability.
The Labor Department said first-time jobless claims dropped for the third consecutive week. A Department of Commerce report said consumer prices were flat in February with core prices, which exclude energy and food items, up only 0.1 percent.
In midmorning trading, the Dow Jones industrial average added 19.58 points, 0.18 percent, to 10,753.25. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 0.03 percent, 0.31 points, to 1,166.52. The Nasdaq composite index added 0.05 percent, 1.15 points, to 2,390.24.
Early winners included Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F PRS) (NYSE:F PRA) (NYSE:F) , up 4.52 percent and Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) , up 1.41 percent.
The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note fell 1/32 to yield 3.644 percent.
The euro fell to $1.3682 compared to Wednesday's $1.3741. Against the yen, the dollar rose to 90.33 yen compared with Wednesday's 90.27 yen.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index lost 102.95 points, 0.95 percent, to 10,744.03.
