U.S. stocks rose sharply on Thursday, with the S&P 500 up four straight days and the Dow closing above 10,000, after a rise in business productivity and a drop in jobless claims boosted confidence in the economy, while strong results from Cisco bolstered tech stocks.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was up 203.82 points, or 2.08 percent, to end unofficially at 10,005.96. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was up 20.13 points, or 1.92 percent, at 1,066.63. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was up 49.80 points, or 2.42 percent, at 2,105.32.

(Reporting by Edward Krudy; Editing by Jan Paschal)

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