Financial News (Site: Yahoo! Finance: Stocks News)

• US STOCKS-S&P 500 hits 17-month high as banks lift Wall St (at Reuters)
  * Spike in Chinese inflation stirs overheating worries * Jobless claims fall, trade gap narrows, exports dip * Citi shares jump as CEO eyes sustainable profits
• S&P Closes at 17-Month High Above 1,150 (at CNBC)
  Stocks rallied in the final hour of trading Thursday, pushing the S&P to a 17-month high above 1,150. Banks finished strong, with Citi up over 5 percent.
• Stocks climb for 3rd day as financial shares rise (AP)
  The stock market is up for a third day after a rally in financial shares helped offset concerns about rising inflation in China.
• US STOCKS SNAPSHOT-Banks lift Wall St; S&P at 17-month high (at Reuters)
  Rising bank shares led a late-day rally on Thursday, helping the S&P 500 hit a 17-month closing high and offsetting worries China may move to cool its overheating economy.
• Citigroup vs. Goldman Sachs-The Better Buy: Strategists (at CNBC)
  Since the lows of March 2009, Goldman Sachs has moved up more than 80 percent while Citigroup jumped over 160 percent. Do these stocks have further room for growth? Christopher Whalen, senior vice president and managing director at Institutional Risk Analytics, and Jeffery Harte, managing director in equity research at Sandler O Neill, shared their insights.
• U.S. stocks up for 3rd day as banks rally (at MarketWatch)
  U.S. stocks on Thursday finished higher for a third day after a late-session move led by financials that came with Citigroup Inc. declaring itself on its way to sustainable profitability.
• Tech Stocks: Tech stocks take tentative steps forward (at MarketWatch)
  Stocks in the tech group struggle near the close to turn back the day s losses.
• Commercial Real Estate Rebound Is Beginning: Portfolio Managers (at CNBC)
  U.S. mortgage applications inched higher this month, the Dow Jones real estate index rose 114 percent since the 2009 March lows and foreclosure filings rose 6 percent in February from a year ago, the smallest increase in four years.
• Retail Stocks: Gymboree surges as retail sector erases loss (at MarketWatch)
  Retail stocks cut their earlier losses and turn higher, led by gains from Gymboree.
• Telecom Stocks: Ciena, Leap top telecom-stock rise; Motorola falls (at MarketWatch)
  Smaller telecommunications companies Ciena Corp. and Leap Wireless International Inc. lead the sector modestly higher in late Thursday trades, extending a recent uptrend.
• Financial Stocks: Regional banks gain, Citi stock pares gains (at MarketWatch)
  U.S. regional bank shares add to the past session s gains Thursday, and Citigroup shares gained more than 4%, as investors cheered CEO Vikram Pandit s upbeat outlook.
• The Rally in Real Estate Stocks Is Not an Exercise (at Seeking Alpha)
  
• Late Surge Pushes Up Stocks at Close (at SmartMoney)
  
• US SMALL/MIDCAPS-Stocks flat after rally by midsizes (at Reuters)
  * Small, midcap stocks break winning streak * Materials sector lags market * S&P MidCap 400 down 0.1 pct, S&P SmallCap 600 down 0.3
• Financial Stocks: Citi stock jumps 4%, regional banks gain (at MarketWatch)
  U.S. regional bank shares add to the past session s gains Thursday, and Citigroup shares gained more than 1%, as investors looked ahead to comments from a number of bank executives.
• Sector Snap: Airline stocks hold steady (AP)
  After two days in a row of gains, airline stocks remained somewhat steady on Thursday. Shares of most of the big carriers moved little. The Amex airline index was down less than 1 percent in midday trading.
• Energy Stocks: Energy stocks flat to lower; Devon up on BP deal (at MarketWatch)
  Energy stocks moved lower Thursday as Exxon Mobil laid out its 2010 capital spending plans and BP took aim at oil riches off the coast of Brazil through a $7 billion deal with Devon Energy.
• Steel Stocks Gain on Signs of Recovery (at TheStreet.com)
  Steel stock prices are posting impressive gains as production in the U.S. and Asia rises.
• Financial Stocks: Bank stocks extend gains; Citi, regionals in lead (at MarketWatch)
  U.S. regional bank shares add to the past session s gains Thursday, and Citigroup shares gained more than 1%, as investors looked ahead to comments from a number of bank executives.
• US STOCKS SNAPSHOT-Nasdaq turns positive (at Reuters)
  The Nasdaq turned positive and the Dow and S&P 500 pared losses on Thursday as big-cap technology shares rose, offsetting worries about money tightening in China.
• Biotech Stocks: BioSante rallies on study; drug stocks slip (at MarketWatch)
  Shares of BioSante Pharmaceuticals Inc. soar in early action, powered by a study that shows its GVAX Leukemia vaccine appeared to be effective in battling chronic myeloid leukemia, or CML.
• Airline Stocks: Airline stocks fall; IATA raises global forecast (at MarketWatch)
  Investors take profits day after some carriers hit 52-week highs.
• Retail Stocks: Bed, Bath & Beyond leads sector lower; Gymboree up (at MarketWatch)
  Retail stocks fell Thursday, led by Bed, Bath & Beyond Inc., after a broker said the home-furnishings retailer s comparisons will become tougher as the one-year anniversary of a bankrupt rival passes.