The stock market advanced for a fourth straight day Thursday, pushing the Standard & Poor's 500 index to a record high. Investors were encouraged by news that the number of people seeking unemployment benefits remains at a multi-year low. Hewlett-Packard rose after delivering better results, while Sears plunged after reporting that its loss doubled from a year ago.
On Thursday:
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 60.36 points, or 0.4 per cent, to 17,039.49.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 5.86 points, or 0.3 per cent, to close at 1,992.37.
The Nasdaq composite added 5.62 points, or 0.1 per cent, to 4,532.10.
For the week:
The Dow is up 376.58 points, or 2.3 per cent.
The S&P 500 index is up 37.31 points, or 1.9 per cent.
The Nasdaq is up 67.18 points, or 1.5 per cent
For the year:
The Dow is up 462.83 points, or 2.8 per cent.
The S&P 500 index is up 144.01 points, or 7.8 per cent.
The Nasdaq is up 355.51 points, or 8.5 per cent.
This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.