US stocks finish at all-time highs anew

NEW YORK (AFP) – Wall Street stocks finished at fresh records Thursday behind gains in industrial and petroleum-linked equities, resuming their upward climb after a one-day pullback.

At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average stood at 25,574.73, up 0.8 percent.

The broad-based S&P 500 gained 0.7 percent to 2,767.56, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 0.8 percent to 7,211.78.

Thursday’s rally was prompted in part by higher oil prices, which boosted petroleum-linked equities. Investors are also keen for the upcoming earnings season, which kicks off Friday with reports from JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo. But analysts said the gains also reflected the market’s underlying bullishness after a sweeping US tax cut was enacted in December. That dynamic means investors are eager to jump in and buy at the least sign of weakness, such as Wednesday, when all three indices fell for the first time all year.

“The path of least resistance is still up,’’ said Maris Ogg of Towers Bridge Advisors.

Oil-linked shares with big gains included Dow member Chevron, up 3.1 percent, Apache, up 4.7 percent and Schlumberger, up 1.9 percent.

Industrial companies that advanced included Dow members Caterpillar and Boeing which won 2.0 and 2.4 percent and Cummins, which advanced 1.9 percent.

Delta Air Lines surged 4.8 percent after reporting fourth-quarter earnings of 96 cents per share, eight cents above analyst expectations. American Airlines and United Continental also pushed sharply higher.