国际英语新闻：U.S. stocks surge on Wells Fargo surprise profit

NEW YORK, April 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks staged a strong rally on Thursday after Wells Fargo blew analysts' estimates by projecting a record earnings for the first quarter.

    Dow Jones surged back above 8,000 points. Both S&P and Nasdaq indexes jumped more than 3.8 percent.

    Wells Fargo says it expects to earn 3 billion U.S. dollars, or 55 cents per share, for the quarter ended March 31, nearly doubling the average estimate of 23 cents per share. The news helped send financials sharply higher.

    Moreover, new jobless claims falling more than expected last week also boosted the market.

    The U.S. Labor Department says the initial jobless claims fell to a seasonally adjusted 654,000 from a revised 674,000 the previous week. Analysts had expected claims to drop to 660,000. However, those continuing to receive unemployment insurance set a record for the 11th straight week.

    Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, reported comparable-store sales rose less than estimates in March, pushing its shares down.

    Crude oil price jumped nearly 6 percent to settle at 52.24 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

    The Dow Jones rose 246.27, or 3.14 percent, to 8083.38. Broader indexes also surged. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rallied 31.40,or 3.81 percent, to 856.56; and the Nasdaq gained 61.88, or 3.89 percent, to 1,652.54.