(AP) — Optimism that a budget deal will be reached in Washington helped lift the stock market in early Thursday trading. A pair of economic reports also brightened the mood.
The Dow Jones industrial average was up 50 points to 13,035 at 2:45 p.m. In other trading Thursday, the Standard & Poor's 500 rose seven points to 1,417 and the Nasdaq gained 19 points to 3,011.
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