US stocks gain on retail hopes, Disney results two

JC Penney saidyard Slides Inflatable earnings for the holiday quarter could beat estimates, while clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch reported better-than-expected results, and their stocks led retailer shares higher.
　　Shares of JC Penney rose 6.2 percent to $31.21 and Abercrombie & Fitch climbed 10.7 percent to $40.68.
　　The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) added 73.00 points, or 0.72 percent, to end at 0,270.47. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (.SPX) rose 6.24 points, or 0.57 percent, to 1,093.48. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) rose 18.86 points, or 0.88 percent, to close 2,167.88.
　　For theThanksgiving Gemmy Airblown Inflatables week, the Dow rose 2.5 percent, while the S&P 500 advanced 2.3 percent, and the Nasdaq gained 2.6 percent.
　　A slide in the U.S. dollar was a factor for rising stocks, as investors took advantage of a cheaper greenback to invest in equities and commodities. The energy sector (.GSPE) of the S&P 500 outperformed the broader index.
　　The dollar weakened as the U.S. trade deficit widened in September by an unexpectedly large 18.2 percent, the most in more than 10 years.
　　Brokerage upgrades lifted shares of chipmaker Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O) and Juniper Networks Inc (JNPR.N). Qualcomm rose 2.1 percent to $45.77 on the Nasdaq and Juniper shot up 5.9 percent to $26.15 on the New York Stock Exchange. The PHLX semiconductor index (.SOXX) rose 1.1 percent.
　　Volume was anemic on the New York Stock Exchange, with about 985 million shares changing hands, below last year’s estimated daily average of 1.49 billion. On the Nasdaq, about 1.90 billion shares traded, below last year’s daily average of 2.28 billion.
　　Advancing stocks outnumbered decliners on the NYSE by a ratio of about 11 to 4, while on the Nasdaq, nearly two stocks rose for every stock that fell.