U.S. Stocks Rise for Third Week as Housing, Labor Data Improve

U.S. stocks rose this week, with the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index completing its best February since 1998, as data on housing and the jobs market improved and monthly sales from Gap Inc. to Ford Motor Co. beat estimates.

Equities trimmed their advance March 2 after the S&P 500 climbed to the highest since 2008 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 13,000 for the first time in nearly four years during the week. Consumer and financial stocks rose the most among 10 S&P 500 industries this week, each rising 1.4 percent as a group. JPMorgan Chase & Co. added 6.1 percent as an analyst said it would be worth more if broken up. Alpha Natural Resources Inc. fell 15 percent, leading a drop in energy shares.