top storiesMove to natural gas vehicles accelerates The surge in U.S. natural gas production from prolific shale formations has created an abundance of the blue-burning fuel. Stocks rise after unemployment declines The report helped send the Dow Jones industrial average to a new 2011 high in early trading. Stocks pared their gains in the afternoon as oil prices hit new 30-month highs. Unemployment rate falls to 8.8 percent, 2-year low Another month of brisk hiring provided the latest sign that the economy is strengthening nearly two years after the recession ended. Still, a surprisingly large number of people who stopped looking for work during the downturn have yet to start looking again. Oil settles near $108 a barrel as jobless rate falls Benchmark crude for May delivery rose $1.22 to settle at $107.94 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange latest from the associated presscolumnists
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