* Netflix, eBay jump after quarterly results
* Initial jobless claims fall more than forecast
* Indexes: Dow, S&P, Nasdaq all up 0.8 pct
* For up-to-the-minute market news see [STXNEWS/US] (Updates to mid-morning trade)
By Rodrigo Campos
NEW YORK, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Strong corporate earnings led U.S. stocks higher on Thursday, while a weaker U.S. dollar and reassuring data from China gave an extra boost to equities.
Blue chips McDonald's Corp
"Corporate earnings and the lower dollar are helping the stock market today," said Paul Nolte, managing director at Dearborn Partners in Chicago. "U.S. equities are looking at China as continuing to have fairly robust growth, and that's good for the global economy."
Economic growth in China, the world's No. 2 economy, slowed in the third quarter, but was still at a healthy level, data showed, calming fears after recent monetary tightening. For details, see [ID:nTOE69K00X]
The euro rose against the dollar in choppy trade as investors wrestled with uncertainty over the size and shape of expected U.S. monetary easing.
The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> added 84.99 points, or 0.77 percent, to 11,192.96. The Standard & Poor's 500 <.SPX> rose 8.84 points, or 0.75 percent, to 1,187.01. The Nasdaq Composite <.IXIC> gained 19.85 points, or 0.81 percent, to 2,477.24.
Online auctioneer eBay rose 8.8 percent to $27.91 and Netflix, the movie rental and streaming service, jumped 14 percent to $173.49 after both reported upbeat results late Wednesday. [ID:nN20228251] and [ID:nN20229905].
Amazon advanced 4.1 percent to $165.18 after it was upgraded by Bank of America Merrill. It is expected to post results after the closing bell.
McDonald's gained 2.5 percent to $79.31 after it beat expectations for quarterly profit and same-store sales growth in September.
Travelers was up 1 percent to $55.16 after the largest publicly traded U.S. property casualty insurer easily beat estimates as premiums rose in its personal insurance lines. [ID:nN21165866] and [ID:nN21266849].
The Conference Board said U.S. economic activity posted a third successive increase in September, but at a pace so modest that it implied only lackluster growth ahead. Also, new claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week. [ID:nN21275986] (Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)