Job Data Push Stocks Slightly Higher (JWN, M, LTD, ALTH, SPPI, BBBY, STZ, AAPL)

New York

U.S. stocks bounced back slightly on Thursday after posting its biggest intra-day loss for the current year in yesterday’s session.This morning, a government report showed that the number of Americans lining up for new jobless benefits dropped to the lowest level in nearly four years last week. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits slid 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 357,000, the lowest level since April 2008, the Labor Department said on Thursday.
However, markets are concerned due to rise in Spanish bond yields that renewed concerns about the euro zone's financial health.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 3 points to 13,077 The S&P 500 added 1 points to 1,400. The Nasdaq composite climbed 10 points to 3,078.Retail stocks are in focus after reporting strong sales data for the month of March as warmer weather, an earlier Easter and appealing fashions drew customers in including Nordstrom, Inc.(NYSE:JWN) rose 1.33% after reporting a 8.60% jump in its same-store sales, Macy's, Inc.(NYSE:M) added 0.21% after posting a 7.30% rise. Limited Brands, Inc.(NYSE:LTD), which operates Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works, posted an 8% rise in March same-store sales when 4.4% was expected. Shares of LTD were up slightly.

Allos Therapeutics, Inc.(NASDAQ:ALTH) share soared 27.27% to $1.82 after the company was agreed to be acquired by Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(NASDAQ:SPPI)for $206 million. Shares of SPPI slumped over 9.50%.
Bed Bath & Beyond Inc.(NASDAQ:BBBY) shares soared 8.50% to $71.81 and made  a52-week high of $72 after posting better-than-estimated fourth quarter earnings. The company reported a profit of $351 million, or $1.48 a share on revenue of $2.73 billion. The company expects first-quarter earnings of 79 cents to 83 cents a share, while analysts see 82 cents a share.
Constellation Brands, Inc.(NYSE:STZ) shares slumped 13.30% to $21.41 after the company reported a sharp fall in its fourth quarter reported and provided worse than estimated fiscal 2013 outlook. The company reported posted fourth-quarter 2012 net income of $103.0 million, as compared to $279.8 million in the prior-year quarter. Looking forward, the company expects fiscal 2013 earnings per share of $1.93 - $2.03, while analysts project full-year earnings of $2.23 per share.
Apple Inc.(NASDAQ:AAPL) is one of the notable gainers and rose 0.755 to $628.97 on high volume. The stock is showing solid support at around $620 and seeing strong buying at every fall. Looks like investors don’t want to miss any fall in the stock.