Shares of surf-inspired clothing maker Quiksilver Inc. and retailer Pacific Sunwear of California Inc. continued on a tear Friday on signs of national improvement in jobs.
Huntington Beach-based Quiksilver, a maker of surf-inspired clothes and operator of several stores, were up 10% in midday New York trading, adding to gains earlier in the week.
The stock is up about 14% since Monday with a market value of $670 million.
Anaheim-based Pacific Sunwear, the largest operator of mall stores selling surfwear, was up more than 5% in midday New York trading to a market value of $365 million.
Both stocks were up on two days of encouraging news on the jobs front.
On Friday, the Labor Department said employers added 162,000 jobs last month and revised upward figures for the previous two months.
March’s gain is only the third since the economy sunk into recession in late 2007 and was the largest gain since March 2007.
The increase was boosted by government hiring of Census workers, though those jobs actually came in lower than economists expected with private employers adding more than thought.
Shares of Quiksilver and Pacific Sunwear started climbing Thursday after a government report showed that those filing for first-time jobless benefits fell last week.
The county’s other clothing retailer, Foothill Ranch-based Wet Seal Inc., is sitting out the rally.
Its shares were flat Friday and down slightly for the week on a market value of $450 million.
On Thursday, Wet Seal said it plans to take a charge for the current quarter related to a notes and stock conversion and exercise of warrants.
Wet Seal runs mall stores selling clothes for teen girls and young women.
