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New York - US stock markets on Thursday continued their bull run of 2013, closing at fresh records after a strong US unemployment report.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average shot up 122.33 points to 16 479.88, finishing at a record high for the sixth straight session.
The S&P 500, closing at a record high for the fourth straight session, added 8.70 points at 1842.02. The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index increased 11.76 points to 4 167.18.
The latest record came after US Labour Department data showed first-time claims for unemployment benefits fell to 338 000 from an adjusted 380 000 the previous week. Analysts had projected that 350 000 claims would be filed.
Other better-than-expected economic news in recent days has increased confidence in the US outlook after the Federal Reserve announced on December 18 it was scaling back its bond-buying programme.
The yield on the 10-year US Treasury bond hit 3.0% earlier on Thursday before retreating. Higher yields sometimes crimp enthusiasm for equities, but the recent rise has been gradual, said Michael Gayed, chief investment strategist at Pension Partners.
"If you have a spike in yields, it is a negative," Gayed said.
"But as the yields are gradually going higher despite the Fed tapering, that means there is a growing sense of confidence that the stocks market does not need the Fed as much."
