The major indexes all recorded gains as Thursday’s market closed. The Dow rose 70.44 points, the S&P 500 rose 8.67 points, and the Nasdaq rose 4.62 points. For the week the Dow was up 0.7 percent, the S&P 500 was up one percent, and the Nasdaq was up 0.3 percent. This was the fifth consecutive week of gains for the major indexes.

Thursday’s close left the Dow just three points shy of the 11,000 mark. With the market closed in observance of Good Friday, investors did not have a chance to transfer optimism over Friday’s non-farm payrolls data into stock market results. The report indicated that 162,000 jobs had been created, and along with the anticipation of positive corporate earnings as first-quarter results begin to be announced, the market seems likely to add a sixth week of gains to its streak.

On Monday, the Institute for Supply Management will release its non-manufacturing index figure for March. The expectation that the index will rise to 54, where any number above 50 is an indication of economic expansion, is another economic plus. Also, pending home sales figures for February will be released on Monday. Though the data is forecast to show a decline of 0.2 percent, January’s figure showed a much larger decline of 7.6 percent.

Thursday will bring retailers’ monthly sales reports for March. With indications that consumer sentiment is rising and with the inclusion of Easter holiday sales, analysts are expecting good news compared to March 2009.

Investors continue to watch for any signs that the federal government will be formulating an exit strategy for its economic stimulus plan. Next week will afford two opportunities. On Tuesday, minutes from the Federal Reserve Bank’s last rate-setting meeting will be released and on Wednesday Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will speak in Dallas. Despite data that continues to point toward economic recovery, the unemployment rate remains at 9.7 percent and economists do not yet expect curtailment of low interest rates.

Nine Stocks to Watch

We're watching nine stocks for follow-through this week. The nine stocks:

AngloGold Ashanti Limited (AU)
Acuity Brands, Inc. (AYI)
Canadian Natural Resource Ltd (CNQ)
Carter's, Inc. (CRI)
ENSCO International PLC (ESV)
Gardner Denver, Inc. (GDI)
Legg Mason, Inc. (LM)
SCANA Corporation (SCG)
Yum! Brands, Inc. (YUM)

Dave Mecklenburg is the Editor-in-Chief of TigerSharkTrading.com.