ConAgra Foods Inc. said Thursday a recent explosion at its Slim Jim plant in North Carolina which injured 38 workers and killed three people will not have a major impact on its fiscal 2010 financial results.

Research In Motion offered investors an outlook on Thursday that fell short of some expectations, sending the BlackBerry maker’s stock sliding 5 percent even as the company reported a higher quarterly profit that topped forecasts.

The total number of people on the unemployment insurance rolls dropped for the first time since early January, the government said Thursday, while new claims for benefits rose slightly.

The Department of Education has selected student lender Sallie Mae and three other companies to service the $550 billion in outstanding federal student loans and future loans owned by the government.

The Dow and S&P 500 gained on Thursday, breaking a three-day losing streak, as data on the job market and regional manufacturing revived hopes that the recession-hit economy is stabilizing.

Shares of Liz Claiborne Inc. tumbled nearly 26 percent Thursday after the apparel maker said it now expects to post a slightly larger than expected second-quarter loss.

Stocks that moved substantially or traded heavily Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Stock Market: NYSE:

MONDAY, June 22 DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreen Co. reports third-quarter financial results. TUESDAY, June 23 WASHINGTON — National Association of Realtors releases existing home sales for May, 10 a.m.; Federal Housing Finance Agency releases April home price index, 10 a.m.; Federal Reserve to discuss the economy and interest rates.

Shares of SanDisk Corp., a maker of flash memory cards used in cameras and other devices, fell Thursday after an analyst downgraded the stock on signs of weakening in the flash memory market.

Shares of A-Power Energy Generation Systems Ltd. jumped Thursday after an analyst boosted his rating on the stock, saying he sees a buying opportunity after the wind turbine maker’s stock dropped on lower-than-expected fiscal first-quarter results.