(MENAFN- AFP) The Dow and S&P 500 notched fresh records Thursday on strong US economic data and a jump in oil company shares thanks to rebounding crude prices.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 33.27 points (0.19 percent) to 17,719.00, besting the prior mark by more than 30 points.
The broad-based S&P 500 gained 4.03 (0.20 percent) to 2,052.75, also a new peak, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index rose 26.16 (0.56 percent) to 4,701.87.
A regional manufacturing index from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia surged unexpectedly, while the Conference Board's Leading Economic Index, an amalgamation of several key economic indicators, also improved.
US existing-home sales gained in October for the second straight month.
Oil stocks including Apache (+3.0 percent) and ConocoPhillips (+1.5 percent) rose as US oil prices advanced.
Dow component Intel bolted 4.7 percent higher as it raised its annual dividend by six cents to 96 cents per share. The chipmaker also forecast 2015 revenue growth in the mid-single digits.
Online game developer Activision Blizzard shot up 7.9 percent after it said lifetime sales of the popular "Call of Duty" game rose above $10 billion following its latest launch.
Best Buy surged 7.0 percent as third-quarter earnings came in at 32 cents per share, seven cents above analyst expectations. The electronics retailer pointed to "encouraging" trends as it enters the key holiday-shopping season, but warned that the environment remains highly competitive.
Kitchen equipment retailer Williams-Sonoma soared 8.4 percent as fourth-quarter net income rose 14.4 percent to $64.9 million behind strong gains in online sales.
Dollar Tree advanced 5.2 percent after reporting third-quarter same-store growth of 5.9 percent, its highest level since 2011.
Salesforce, a provider of cloud computing services to businesses, fell 4.5 percent after projecting revenues of $6.45-$6.50 billion in the coming fiscal year, below the market's forecast for $6.66 billion.
Specialty coffee company Keurig Green Mountain dropped 7.4 percent following news that Frances Rathke would step down as chief financial officer in fiscal 2015 and shift into a strategic advisory role at the company. Keurig Green Mountain has hired an executive search firm to find a replacement.
Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury fell to 2.34 percent from 2.35 percent Wednesday, while the 30-year declined to 3.05 percent from 3.07 percent. Bond prices and yields move inversely.
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