Stocks held near record levels on Wall Street as evidence kept piling up to show the job market remains remarkably solid.
The S&P 500 edged up 0.1% Thursday, just a few points shy of closing above the 5,000 level for the first time. The Dow rose 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.2% higher.
The latest show of strength for the economy came from a report indicating fewer workers applied for unemployment benefits last week than expected. The Walt Disney Co. jumped after reporting stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected.
On Thursday:
The S&P 500 rose 2.85 points, or 0.1%, to 4,997.91.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 48.97 points, or 0.1%, to 38,726.33.
The Nasdaq composite rose 37.07 points, or 0.2%, to 15,793.71.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 29.34 points, or 1.5%, to 1,979.70.
For the week:
The S&P 500 is up 39.30 points, or 0.8%.
The Dow is up 71.91 points, or 0.2%.
The Nasdaq is up 164.76 points, or 1.1%.
The Russell 2000 is up 16.97 points, or 0.9%.
For the year:
The S&P 500 is up 228.08 points, or 4.8%.
The Dow is up 1,036.79 points, or 2.8%.
The Nasdaq is up 782.36 points, or 5.2%.
The Russell 2000 is down 47.37 points, or 2.3%.
Before you make your next trade, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis.
Our team has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and none of the big name stocks were on the list.
They believe these five stocks are the five best companies for investors to buy now...
See The Five Stocks Here
Need to stretch out your 401K or Roth IRA plan? Use these time-tested investing strategies to grow the monthly retirement income that your stock portfolio generates.
Get This Free Report