The US markets ended higher on Thursday with the Dow and the S&P 500 reaching new record closing highs. The rally on markets came following the release of a batch of largely upbeat US economic data, including a Commerce Department report showing retail sales spiked by much more than expected in the month of March. The Commerce Department said retail sales skyrocketed by 9.8 percent in March after tumbling by a revised 2.7 percent in February. Street had expected retail sales to surge up by 5.9 percent compared to the 3.0 percent slump originally reported for the previous month. Excluding sales by motor vehicle and parts dealers, retail sales soared by 8.4 percent in March after plunging by a revised 2.5 percent in February. Ex-auto sales were expected to jump by 5.0 percent.
A separate report released by the Labor Department showed first-time claims for US unemployment benefits pulled back by much more than anticipated in the week ended April 10th. The Labor Department said initial jobless claims tumbled to 576,000, a decrease of 193,000 from the previous week's revised level of 769,000. Street had expected jobless claims to decline to 700,000 from the 744,000 originally reported for the previous week. Meanwhile, the National Association of Home Builders also released a report showing a modest increase in US homebuilder confidence in the month of April. The report said the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index inched up to 83 in April after dipping to 82 in March, matching market participants estimates.
Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 305.1 points or 0.9 percent to 34,035.99, Nasdaq rose 180.92 points or 1.31 percent to 14,038.76 and S&P 500 was up by 45.76 points or 1.11 percent to 4,170.42.
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