The Dow and S&P 500 ended at record highs on Thursday, with the S&P 500 rising above 1,700 after strong data on service-sector growth and as central banks said they would keep monetary stimulus in place.
Stocks were broadly higher, with all 10 S&P 500 sectors in the black, though growth-sensitive financials, industrials and consumer discretionary shares registered the biggest gains. The Dow transportation average rose 3.2 percent, also closing at a new high.
The European Central Bank and the Bank of England both ended policy meetings by leaving interest rates at record lows, a day after the Fed said the US economy still needed its support and avoided any mention of a change to its stimulus measures.
The Dow Jones industrial average was up 128.48 points, or 0.83 percent, at 15,628.02, a record close. It also hit a new intraday high of 15,650.69. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was up 21.14 points, or 1.25 percent, at 1,706.87, also a new record.
The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 49.37 points, or 1.36 percent, at 3,675.74. The index hit a fresh 13-year high.
European shares extended their gains today, tracking a rise on Wall Street in the wake of upbeat US manufacturing data.
The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was up 1 percent at 1,220.23 points after hitting a session high of 1,220.73, with Germany’s DAX up 1.6 percent.
Meanwhile, Japan’s Nikkei share average jumped 2.5 percent marking its biggest one-day gain in three weeks, as investors zoomed in on better-than-expected Chinese manufacturing data, while a weaker yen and positive earnings helped buoy the market.
The benchmark Nikkei added 337.45 points to m14,005.77, and the broader Topix climbed 2.8 percent to 1,163.39.
Source: Buenos Aires Herald