Last updated March 4, 2010: 4:15 PM ET --- The major U.S. equity indices closed higher Thursday on a better-than-expected February jobs report. The Labor Department reported that initial jobless claims fell to 469,000, which was better than the 470,000 economists had forecasted. The National Association of Realtors reported that the index of home sales agreements fell 7.6% in January. In corporate news, Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF) shares rose 13.6% after reporting strong retail sales. Marvell Technology (NASDAQ:MRVL) reported fiscal Q4 EPS of $0.40, topping consensus estimates of $0.37. Sales in the quarter surged 64% to $843 million, and came in ahead of consensus estimates of $841.8 million. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) closed 0.46% higher at 10,444.14, the S&P500 (INX) closed 0.37% higher at 1,122.97, and the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) closed 0.51% higher at 2,292.31.