The benchmark S&P 500 index rose to within a hair of its record high on Thursday as bank stocks got a boost from bets on higher interest rates and consumer discretionary stocks were helped by economic data and earnings.
The S&P 500 .SPX gained 10.18 points, or 0.47 percent, to end at 2,187.12, compared with its Aug. 15 record of 2190.15.
The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI finished up 35.68 points, or 0.19 percent, at 18,903.82, and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 39.39 points, or 0.74 percent, to reach 5,333.97.
Six of the 11 major S&P 500 sectors were higher. The S&P Financial index .SPNY was the leading advancer with a 1.3 percent gain, boosted by a 1.6 percent increase in the banking sub-sector .SPXBK
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS dipped 0.3 percent in early trade to hover just above its four-month low touched earlier in the week. It looks set to log its fourth straight week of losses.
Reference: Reuters
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