Jobless claims tumbled to a near 15-year low to send the markets soaring to a sharply higher open with the Dow leaping 166 points to 18,101. Nasdaq surged 52 points to 5,117.

On the upside

Radius Health (Nasdaq: RDUS) reported positive data from the first six month of ACTIVExtend and the 25 month combined data from ACTIVE and ACTIVExtend.

BioMarin Pharmaceutical (Nasdaq: BMRN) reported upbeat data from a Phase 2 study of BMN 111 to treat the most common form of human dwarfism.

Lumenis (Nasdaq: LMNS) will be acquired by XIO Group for a premium of approximately $510 million in cash.
 
On the downside

Oracle (NYSE: ORCL) disappointed with lower fourth quarter earnings and revenue that fell short of analyst expectations.

Noranda Aluminum (NYSE: NOR) suspended its quarterly dividend and retained the services of Morgan Stanley to evaluate strategic options.

Shares of AirMedia Group (Nasdaq: AMCN) continued falling.
 
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of nearly 3 to 1 on the NYSE and by nearly 5 to 2 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 climbed 16 points to 2116. Bitcoin added $2 to $249.