Applications for unemployment benefits dropped last week to the lowest level since September. The number of applications is close to where it was before the Great Recession.
The Dow rose 109 points, or 0.7 percent, to 16,010 Thursday.
The Standard & Poor's 500 rose 14 points, or 0.8 percent, to 1,795. The Nasdaq composite rose 47 points, or 1.2 percent, to 3,969.
Williams-Sonoma jumped 8 percent after the company said its third-quarter net income rose as customers spent more at its West Elm and PBteen stores.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.79 percent.
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