Consumer Cos Up On Jobs Optimism - Consumer Roundup

Shares of retailers and other consumer-services companies ticked up amid optimism on the jobs market ahead of data Friday. New jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs across the U.S., fell by 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 236,000 in the week ended Dec. 2, the Labor Department said. Dollar General shares rose after the deep discounter, which has concentrated on under-served rural markets, boosted its sales projection for the year. Dollar General also slowed its expansion, targeting fewer store openings in 2018.

-Rob Curran, rob.curran@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 07, 2017 16:36 ET (21:36 GMT)