Description: U.S. stocks rose, giving the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index its first back-to-back weekly gain since February, as reports showing faster-than-forecast growth in jobs and consumer spending bolstered economic optimism.

Source: Businessweek.com

Date: 04/02/2011

Link: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-04-02/s-p-500-posts-longest-winning-streak-since-february-on-economy.html

Questions for discussion: 

• What does this report have to say about the economy and investors’ attitudes?
• How important do you believe the employment numbers are for indicating economic direction?
• How do think financial planning and hiring at firms will be influenced by the information presented in this article?