Stocks advanced yesterday, rebounding from Wednesday's sharp drop as retail sales showed consumers haven't stopped spending and new jobless claims were better than expected.

Here's how things start out today:
The Dow starts out at 12,866.
The Nasdaq starts at 2,451.

After the bell yesterday, American International Group, the world's largest insurer by assets, posted a weaker than expected $7.81 billion loss as write-downs tied related to the housing slump wiped out profit for a second straight quarter. The company also announced plans to raise $12.5 billion in capital.

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