Encouraging economic news pushed stocks higher Wednesday, although a slump in energy companies and utilities kept broader gains in check. The buying followed a rise in overseas markets on hopes of a breakthrough in Greece's talks with its creditors. Seven of 10 industry groups in the Standard and Poor's 500 index rose.
On Wednesday:
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 64.33 points, or 0.4 per cent, to 18,076.27.
The S&P 500 edged up 4.47 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 2,114.07.
The Nasdaq composite climbed 22.71 points, or 0.5 per cent, to 5,099.23.
For the week:
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 65.59 points, or 0.4 per cent.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index climbed 6.68 points, or 0.3 per cent.
The Nasdaq composite rose 29.20 points, or 0.6 per cent.
For the year:
The Dow is up 253.20 points, or 1.4 per cent.
The S&P 500 index is up 55.17 points, or 2.7 per cent.
The Nasdaq is up 363.18 points, or 7.7 per cent.
This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.