NEW YORK–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. The S&P 500 rose 5.86 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 1,992.37, four points above the record close the index set on July 24. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 60.36 points, or 0.4 per cent, to 17,039.49. It was the Dow's first close above 17,000 since July 24. The Nasdaq composite rose 5.62 points, or 0.1 per cent, to 4,532.10.
Hewlett-Packard was the biggest gainer in the S&P 500. The technology giant rose US$1.88, or 5.4 per cent, to US$37 after reporting better-than-expected results and its first sales increase in nearly three years. HP has been undergoing a multi-year restructuring under CEO Meg Whitman, who has laid off employees and cut back businesses that aren't profitable.
Bank of America was also among the market's biggest advancers.
The company reached a US$16.65 billion settlement with the Justice Department over its sale of mortgage-backed securities in the months leading up to the financial crisis. The settlement is by far the largest deal the Justice Department has reached with a bank over the 2008 mortgage meltdown. BofA rose 64 cents, or four per cent, to $16.16.Stocks opened higher and remained there throughout the day, although buying did pick up in the last hour of trading. Investors were encouraged by a report from the Department of Labor that claims for unemployment benefits, a proxy for the number of people who recently lost their jobs and are looking for work, fell by 14,000 last week to 298,000. The less-volatile four-week average was 300,750, below the average before the Great Recession. (AP)