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NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. stocks rose on Friday, with the S&P 500 at its highest level since the week Lehman Brothers collapsed in 2008, and breaching technical levels that suggest the year-end rally will persist.

Indexes closed near session highs with the Nasdaq Composite up for its eighth consecutive daily gain; in that time, the tech-heavy index is up 5.5 percent. The Nasdaq finished at its highest level since December 31, 2007. Volume was below average as is typical for this time of the year.

Industrial shares led the pack, with General Electric (GE.N) up more than 3 percent after it raised its dividend for a second time this year. The S&P industrial sector index (.GSPI) rose 1.03 percent.

After the S&P 500 ended on Thursday above 1,228, the closely watched 61.8 percent retracement of its drop from late 2007 to March 2009, the benchmark index managed to hold above that key level for a second day.

"That met some significant resistance so closing above there and staying above there is a pretty good sign," said Art Hogan, chief market analyst at Jefferies & Co in Boston.

The S&P 500 tried and failed to breach 1,228 back in April and later in early November, with both attempts followed by steep declines.

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) added 40.26 points, or 0.35 percent, to 11,410.32. The Standard & Poor's 500 (.SPX) gained 7.40 points, or 0.60 percent, to 1,240.40. The Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) rose 20.87 points, or 0.80 percent, to 2,637.54.

For the week, the indexes also posted gains. The Dow rose 0.2 percent, the S&P 500 was up 1.3 percent and the Nasdaq added 1.8 percent.

The Nasdaq Composite, boosted by a 2.3 percent gain in shares of Oracle Corp (ORCL.O), hit its highest level since December 2007. Oracle shares closed at $29.95.

In the latest signs of improvement in the U.S. economic recovery, data showed consumer sentiment rose more than expected in early December, according to the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan survey, while import prices in November climbed at their fastest pace in a year.

Another positive signal came from the Commerce Department, which said the U.S. trade deficit narrowed much more than expected in October.

Overseas news helped boost equities, after a slew of data showed China's imports and exports jumped in November, bank lending topped forecasts and property investment powered ahead. China increased reserve requirements for banks but kept interest rates on hold.

GE jumped 3.4 percent to $17.72 after the company said quarterly payments to shareholders will increase by 2 cents to 14 cents per share.

Lifting the S&P health care index (.GSPA), Tenet Healthcare Inc (THC.N) shares jumped 55 percent to $6.65, easily surpassing the $6-per-share bid from Community Health Systems Inc (CYH.N) and likely forcing the potential buyer to raise its offer for the rival hospital company.

Community Health shares rose 13.4 percent to $35.89.

Shares of Netflix Inc (NFLX.O) rose after Standard & Poor's said the company, along with F5 Networks Inc (FFIV.O), Newfield Exploration Co (NFX.N) and Cablevision Systems Corp (CVC.N), will be added to the S&P 500 index after trading closes next Friday.

Netflix added 1.9 percent to $194.63, Cablevision jumped 4.1 percent to $34.72, Newfield gained 3.3 percent to $72.37 and F5 Networks rose 3 percent to $143.09.

About 7.4 billion shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq, below the year's average of 8.62 billion.

Advancing stocks outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a ratio of almost 2 to 1, while on the Nasdaq, more than two stocks rose for every one that fell.

(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by Jan Paschal)

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NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. stocks rose on Friday, with the S&P 500 at its highest level since the week Lehman Brothers collapsed in 2008, and breaching technical levels that suggest the year-end rally will persist.

Indexes closed near session highs with the Nasdaq Composite up for its eighth consecutive daily gain; in that time, the tech-heavy index is up 5.5 percent. The Nasdaq finished at its highest level since December 31, 2007. Volume was below average as is typical for this time of the year.

Industrial shares led the pack, with General Electric (GE.N) up more than 3 percent after it raised its dividend for a second time this year. The S&P industrial sector index (.GSPI) rose 1.03 percent.

After the S&P 500 ended on Thursday above 1,228, the closely watched 61.8 percent retracement of its drop from late 2007 to March 2009, the benchmark index managed to hold above that key level for a second day.

"That met some significant resistance so closing above there and staying above there is a pretty good sign," said Art Hogan, chief market analyst at Jefferies & Co in Boston.

The S&P 500 tried and failed to breach 1,228 back in April and later in early November, with both attempts followed by steep declines.

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) added 40.26 points, or 0.35 percent, to 11,410.32. The Standard & Poor's 500 (.SPX) gained 7.40 points, or 0.60 percent, to 1,240.40. The Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) rose 20.87 points, or 0.80 percent, to 2,637.54.

For the week, the indexes also posted gains. The Dow rose 0.2 percent, the S&P 500 was up 1.3 percent and the Nasdaq added 1.8 percent.

The Nasdaq Composite, boosted by a 2.3 percent gain in shares of Oracle Corp (ORCL.O), hit its highest level since December 2007. Oracle shares closed at $29.95.

In the latest signs of improvement in the U.S. economic recovery, data showed consumer sentiment rose more than expected in early December, according to the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan survey, while import prices in November climbed at their fastest pace in a year.

Another positive signal came from the Commerce Department, which said the U.S. trade deficit narrowed much more than expected in October.

Overseas news helped boost equities, after a slew of data showed China's imports and exports jumped in November, bank lending topped forecasts and property investment powered ahead. China increased reserve requirements for banks but kept interest rates on hold.

GE jumped 3.4 percent to $17.72 after the company said quarterly payments to shareholders will increase by 2 cents to 14 cents per share.

Lifting the S&P health care index (.GSPA), Tenet Healthcare Inc (THC.N) shares jumped 55 percent to $6.65, easily surpassing the $6-per-share bid from Community Health Systems Inc (CYH.N) and likely forcing the potential buyer to raise its offer for the rival hospital company.

Community Health shares rose 13.4 percent to $35.89.

Shares of Netflix Inc (NFLX.O) rose after Standard & Poor's said the company, along with F5 Networks Inc (FFIV.O), Newfield Exploration Co (NFX.N) and Cablevision Systems Corp (CVC.N), will be added to the S&P 500 index after trading closes next Friday.

Netflix added 1.9 percent to $194.63, Cablevision jumped 4.1 percent to $34.72, Newfield gained 3.3 percent to $72.37 and F5 Networks rose 3 percent to $143.09.

About 7.4 billion shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq, below the year's average of 8.62 billion.

Advancing stocks outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a ratio of almost 2 to 1, while on the Nasdaq, more than two stocks rose for every one that fell.

(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by Jan Paschal)

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Net borrowings of public sector came to ￡ 15 6bn last month, ￡ 8bn 14 a year earlier, said the national statistical office. Book lights originally in the wake of data worse than expected, analysts expected to show a reduction in borrowing 5.3 ￡ 14.

At the end of September, the total net debt amounted to ￡ 952bn, equivalent to 64 6pc of GDP, the highest in the months since the beginning of the records in 1993.Figure, which compared to ￡ 822bn a year ago represents a charge close to ￡ 15,000 per resident United Kingdom. than the cost of Bank rescues, total net debt was still a record at ￡ 843bn.

"Another month, another record," said Hetal Mehta, an economist at Daiwa Capital Markets. "Data today highlight, the magnitude of the challenge ahead. "Economists said more difficult figures for Chancellor achieve its objective of reducing the budgetary deficit of ￡ 155bn to ￡ 149bn this year.

So that the tax revenue, the data also show that the additional income was countered by a surge in interest in ￡ 2 United in September, ￡ 912 million payments a year earlier. This was due to higher inflation that grow the interest payable on gilts index as well as the sharp increase in the debt-related according to Nida Ali, the Club de Ernst & Young Economist point.

George Osborne seized on debt figures to demonstrate the urgency of unveiled yesterday in his review of spending cuts. ""It takes time to make u-turn supertanker debt", he said."We will ensure... that we not saddle our children with interest on the interest on the interest of the debt that we weren't ready to pay for ourselves."

Markets took confidence Chancellor commitment "to keep during" and decide against moves the burden of cuts at the end of the Parliament.The pound sterling has increased but gilts were virtually unchanged, with much of the reaction affected by lower debt and the growing prospect of printing money figures by the Bank of England.

Sterling rose from 0 8pc against the dollar at $1.5855 and slightly weakened against the euro falling €1.1403 to €1.1351 .Cochette yields on
10-year debt fell from 0.02 points to 2 98pc.

The 83bn ￡ planned tightening was reduced to ￡ 81bn due to "inherited from the last Government contractual obligations" which rendered unable to thin the capital budget spending by as much espéré.Cependant, calendar and overall spending levels were left unchanged.

To achieve its objectives, the Government has changed much of the burden on social assistance recipients and workers in the public sector than expected initialement.Un extra ￡ represents welfare cuts along with ￡ 1 8bn of reforms in the public sector pension savings and a further ￡ 3 "savings" lighten the load of departmental budgets.

Expenses by departments fall from ￡ 394bn this year to ￡ 2015.Il 389bn was however, forecasts, retractable at ￡ 376bn in June in case of emergency when result, these departments "unprotected", all budget health bars and assistance, will see their budgets cut by 19pc just rather than 25pc forecasts.

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WASHINGTON-new U.S. claims for unemployment benefits fell unexpectedly last week, touching the lowest level in almost three months, according to a report by the Government on Thursday, on some stability in the turbulent job market noted.

Initial claims for State unemployment 11,000 to a seasonally adjusted 445,000, the lowest since July 10 week, deleted the Labor Department said.

Analysts of from Reuters respondents had claims edging up to 455,000 of already reported 453,000 prognostiziert.Die Government revised the previous week figure up to 456,000.

Although the data little influence on September employment report due has on Friday as it outside the survey period, it does little to change perceptions, the Federal Reserve out a new asset purchase program next month roll will keep interest rates low.

State and local governments that redundant up itself as private rental, according to a survey of Reuters picked non farm payrolls were probably last month unchanged as more temporary census jobs ended and broke.

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A Labor Department officials said a State last week claims data hatte.Der estimated four-week average of new unemployment claims as a better measure for underlying labor market trends, around 3,000 to 455,750, the lowest since July 24 week fell.

The second straight week of declines in new applications for unemployment benefits pushed you further from a nine-month high of 504,000 in mid-August touched.Claims are now in the upper end of the range of 400,000 450,000 analysts say that the stability of the market work is usually associated with.

The number of people who still benefit, after a first week of aid 48,000 deleted ended 4.46 million week September 25, the lowest since June 26, from a more efficient revised 4.51 million the previous week.

Analysts who of Reuters respondents claimed shall continue to plunge to 4.45 million from a previously reported 4.46 million forecast.

The insured unemployment rate, the percentage of insured workers, the unemployed is measures, slipped by 3.5 percent during this period of 3.6% the previous week.

The number of people about emergency benefits increased 157,735 to 4.1 million in the week ended Sept. 18.

Some companies are mieten.Daryl Dulaney, Chief Executive of Siemens industry Inc., despite the weak economy USA, 1,200 job openings says his company's parent, Siemens hat.Etwa require 40 percent an engineering or information technology in the background, and the company had difficulty finding qualified candidates, despite the high unemployment rate, Dulaney said.

And in character, the labour market can be slowly healing, said the Ministry of labour is the number of jobs which advertised almost the highest 2 percent to 3.2 million stieg.Das since April, when temporary census setting that month inflated figure.

Vacancies at private companies the highest in 21 months rose slightly to 2.85 million.

Even with the rising number of available jobs far below the 4.4 million in December 2007 when the recession began is advertised.

Reuters and associated press contributed to this report.

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