Investors are getting enthusiastic about stocks again after some reassuring news from the job market.

Stocks rose for a third straight day Thursday on the Labor Department’s report of a larger than expected drop in the number of newly laid-off people seeking unemployment benefits. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 121 points after climbing 275 Wednesday and advancing modestly Tuesday. The 4.7 percent gain in that time is the Dow’s best three-day move since mid-May.