Americans’ wealth rose this spring for the first time in nearly two years, with stocks and home values gaining as the recession faded.

U.S. stocks slipped on Thursday after a three-day runup on concern recent gains were overextended despite the latest round of solid economic data.

A surprise drop in unemployment claims Thursday couldn’t fuel another day of gains for the stock market. Stocks posted modest losses in quiet trading Thursday after three days of gains.

Shares of American Airlines parent AMR Corp soared as much as 25 percent on Thursday after the company said it had raised $2.9 billion in troubled credit markets and would shift flying to more profitable routes.

Shares of Synchronoss Technologies Inc. got a boost Thursday after a Thomas Weisel Partners analyst upgraded the company, calling it “undervalued and overlooked” by investors.

Housing stocks were mixed Thursday after data showed housing starts improved in August, but construction of single-family homes fell for the first time in six months.

Discover Financial Services posted stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings on Thursday as bad loans grew less than feared and the sixth-largest U.S. credit card issuer trimmed costs.

Major business events and economic events scheduled for Friday: WASHINGTON — Labor Department releases state and regional unemployment rates for August, 10 a.m.

European stocks moved ahead with their rally Thursday on hopes of economic recovery, while Wall Street was hard pressed to make any gains.

Shares of Clarcor Inc. fell Thursday, a day after the air filtration system maker posted worse-than-expected third-quarter results and cut its 2009 earnings forecast below Wall Street expectations.