jobless data

New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits rose more than expected last week, a government report showed on Thursday, suggesting little improvement in the labor market.

Feb. 26 -- Guy Lebas, fixed-income strategist and economist at Janney Montgomery Scott LLC, talks with Bloomberg's Betty Liu about today's announcement by the Commerce Department that fourth-quarter gross domestic product expanded at a 5.9 percent annual rate.

European markets dropped Tuesday after a mild rebound in Asia, as investors worried that stocks are overvalued and that a recovery will be only gradual.

Stocks closed at their lowest level in six weeks Thursday after the government said the unemployment rate hit 9.5 percent, a 26-year high.

The stock market found little to celebrate heading into the long holiday weekend.