Dow Jones Industrial Average Leaps 100 Points Ahead Of Google Inc., Amazon.com Inc. Earnings

U.S. stocks rebounded Thursday, with gains from Boeing Co. and McDonald's Corporation boosting the Dow Jones Industrial Average more than 100 points in afternoon trading. After the financial markets close, Google Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. are slated to unveil quarterly results.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which measures the share prices of 30 large industrial companies, jumped 162.19 points, or 0.94 percent, at 17,353.56; the S&P 500 stock index added 13.65 points, or 0.68 percent, at 2,015.84. The Nasdaq Composite rose 27.78 points, or 0.60 percent, at 4,665.22.

McDonald's and Boeing Help Boost Dow More Than 100 Points

Shares of McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD) jumped 4.87 percent to $93.10 in afternoon trading after the fast-food giant announced Wednesday evening Don Thompson, president and chief executive officer, would be stepping down as CEO after nearly 25 years with the company.

Meanwhile, aerospace titan Boeing Co. helped boost the blue-chip Dow after the jet manufacturer beat Wall Street’s earnings expectations the previous session and posted a quarterly profit that leaped 19 percent, helped by an increase in deliveries for commercial aircraft. Shares of Boeing Co. (NYSE:BA) jumped 5.01 percent in afternoon trading Thursday to $146.63.

After the Bell: Google to Post Q4 Earnings Results

After the closing bell, Google Inc. will post earnings after the company turned in weaker-than-expected results for the third quarter. Investors will be eyeing the search giant's long-term growth prospects as its core business remains advertising.

The tech giant is forecast to report fiscal fourth-quarter net income of $4.95 billion, or earnings per share of $5.75, on revenue of $18.47 billion, according to analysts polled by Thomson Reuters. That compares with a profit of $4.1 billion, or earnings per share of $4.95, on revenue of $16.86 billion a year earlier.

Ahead of the report, Google Inc.’s Class A shares (NASDAQ:GOOGL) edged down 0.53 percent to $509.70, while the company’s Class C shares (NASDAQ:GOOG) fell 0.77 percent to $506.06.

After the Bell: Amazon Reports Earnings from Holiday Quarter

Meanwhile, Amazon.com Inc. will turn in results after the closing bell Thursday after missing Wall Street estimates in the previous quarter, warning investors of weaker-than-expected sales for the holiday quarter.

Wall Street expects Amazon.com to report fiscal fourth-quarter net income of $90.33 million, or earnings per share of 18 cents, on revenue of $29.7 billion, compared with $239 million, or earnings per share of 51 cents, on revenue of $25.59 billion during the same period a year earlier.

Ahead of the report, shares of Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) edged up 0.53 percent to $305.51 in afternoon trading.

U.S. Stocks Waver Early Following Mixed Alibaba and Energy Earnings

U.S. stocks initially fell in morning trading, after two straight days of losses, following a series of weaker-than-expected corporate earnings results and a drop in U.S. crude oil prices.

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. missed Wall Street expectations on revenue, while ConocoPhillips, Occidental Petroleum Corporation and Royal Dutch Shell all slashed their budgets in 2015 due to the massive slide in crude oil prices, which have fallen more than 40 percent since June.

U.S. oil prices hovered near the lowest level in six years early Thursday, falling below $44 a barrel for the first time since April 2009, but edged up slightly in afternoon trading. U.S. oil benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) edged up more than 0.27 percent to close at $44.53 a barrel, for March 15 delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Separately, gold prices closed down 2.3 percent Wednesday, the biggest daily drop since Dec. 2013. U.S. gold for February delivery closed down $31.30, or 2.3 percent, at $1,255.90 an ounce. The drop comes a day after the U.S. Federal Reserve vowed to remain “patient” on raising interest rates, which most economists expect to happen in mid 2015.

Jobless Claims Drop to Lowest level in Nearly 15 Years

Data Thursday revealed U.S. jobless claims dropped to the lowest level in nearly 15 years last week. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell 43,000 to a seasonally adjusted 265,000 for the week ended Jan. 24, which was the lowest since April 2000, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Separate data Thursday showed pending home sales, an index that measures housing contract activity, dropped more than expected in December, signaling home buying stalled last month, the National Association of Realtors said. Contracts to buy existing homes fell 3.7 percent in December after the previous month’s reading was revised down to 104.6 in November, according to the Pending Home Sales Index.

Despite last month’s decline, which was the largest since December 2013, the index saw its highest annual gain since June 2013. “With interest rates at lows not seen since early 2013, the strength in existing-sales in upcoming months will largely depend on the willingness of current homeowners to realize their equity gains from the past couple years and trade up,” Lawrence Yun, chief economist at the National Association of Realtors, said in a statement Thursday.