NEW YORK (

TheStreet

) -- Here are the top stock market headlines for the morning of Thursday, March 4, 2010.

Thursday's Early Headlines

• Same-Store Sales Upbeat in February -- Out of 19 retailers to report February comparable store sales data so far, 14 topped estimates, according to Thomson Reuters. Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) - Get Report and Wet Seal( WTSLA) surprised with positive comps. Costco Wholesale (COST) - Get Report, Limited (LTD) and BJ's Wholesale (BJ) - Get Report were among the best reported comp sales. Hot Topic( HOTT) and was among the worst with a 7% decline, although that was still better than the Thomson Reuters estimate for a 13.1% drop.
• Jobless Claims Fall Below Consensus -- The Labor Department said initial jobless claims fell to 469,000 last week from a revised 498,000 the prior week, below the average economist target of 470,000. Continuing claims fell to 4.5 million from 4.63 million.
• BOE, ECB Hold Rates Steady; Exit Steps to Be Detailed -- The European Central Bank kept interest rates at a record low of 1% and the Bank of England left U.K. interest rates at a record low of 0.5%. At a press conference later, the ECB is expected to talk further of unwinding stimulus measures. Reuters reports that the ECB could switch back to auctions for its 3-month operations, which would make it easier to reduce excess liquidity.
• Citigroup's Pandit to Say 'Thanks' -- Citigroup (C) - Get Report CEO Vikram Pandit Thursday will appear before a congressional panel overseeing the bailout of U.S. banks, where he will thank the U.S. government for providing $45 billion of bailout money that stabilized the bank during the financial crisis, Bloomberg reports, citing a person close to Citigroup. Pandit also is expected to tell the oversight panel that Citigroup made $160 billion in mortgage and credit-card loans last year and helped more than 800,000 families avoid foreclosure, according to The Wall Street Journal.
• RadioShack Rises on Takeover Chatter -- RadioShack (RSH) shares rose Wednesday on rumors of a possible takeover of the electronics chain. Some reports say RadioShack could be acquired by an investment firm in a leveraged buyout. William Lefkowitz, options strategist at brokerage firm vFinance Investments, told Reuters that Apollo Management was cited as one possible suitor.

Thursday's Earnings Roundup

• Ciena (CIEN) - Get Report reported a first-quarter loss of 12 cents a share, which was wider than the 6-cent-a-share loss analysts had predicted. Revenue was up 5% from a year ago to $175.9 million, but that was also below consensus. Looking ahead to the company's second quarter, Ciena offered in-line revenue guidance in a range of $185 million to $195 million.
• Del Monte( DLM) posted a fiscal third-quarter adjusted profit of 34 cents a share, which was well ahead of the Thomson Reuters average estimate for a profit of 21 cents a share. Revenue was up 7.5% to $1.01 billion, which also exceeded expectations. For the full year, Del Monte offered in-line earnings guidance.

-- Written by Robert Holmes in Boston

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