LONDON: Stocks on the U.S. equities markets moved broadly higher on Thursday extending gains from one session earlier, as a wave of robust economic outweighed increasing concerns of a Greek default on its sovereign debt. One day after jumping more than 230 points, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose modestly on Thursday, while the NASDAQ Composite index and the S&P Composite index each inched up remaining in near-record territory. The Dow gained 38.97 or 0.22% to close at 18,039.37 on Thursday, while the NASDAQ rose 5.82 or 0.11% to remain comfortably above the symbolic 5,000 level at 5,082.51.
The S&P 500, meanwhile, gained 3.66 or 0.17% to , as seven of 10 sectors closed in the green. Stocks in the Utilities, Health Care and Telecommunications sectors led, while stocks in the Energy, Technology and Consumer Goods industries lagged. The top performer on the Dow was The Travelers Companies Inc (NYSE:TRV), which gained 0.96 or 0.97% to 100.14. Travelers finished just ahead of Boeing Company (NYSE:BA), which rose 1.35 or 0.95% to 142.97, after the Seattle-based airplane manufacturer boosted its 20-year forecast for its aircraft demand by 3.5%. In predicting “strong and resilient growth,” during the period, Boeing expects firms to take delivery of $5.6 trillion in its new jets by 2034.
