· The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 27.06 points, or 0.12 percent, to end at 21,892.43, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 11.29 points, or 0.46 percent, to 2,457.59 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 66.42 points, or 1.05 percent, to 6,368.31.
The Nasdaq closed within 1 percent of its record closing high set in late July.
· U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday after stronger-than-expected U.S. economic growth outweighed concerns about escalating tensions between the United States and North Korea and uncertainty in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
· Gross domestic product was revised higher to show a 3.0 percent annual growth rate in the second quarter, due partly to robust consumer spending as well as strong business investment.
· Adding to the positive sentiment, U.S. private-sector employers beat economists’ expectations as they hired 237,000 workers in August, marking the biggest monthly increase in five months.
· Tensions between the United States and North Korea seemed to escalate after Trump dismissed any diplomatic negotiations via a tweet, saying “talking is not the answer,” a day after Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile that flew over Japan.
However, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis later said the United States still has diplomatic options.
· Most Asian indexes made gains early on Thursday after positive U.S. data gave Wall Street a boost overnight as the dollar held onto overnight gains.
· Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.57 percent, with gains seen across automakers and most tech stocks, as the dollar gained against the yen. Meanwhile, South Korea's Kospi slipped 0.12 percent in early trade.
Reference: Reuters, CNBC
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