U.S. stocks closed sharply higher on Thursday as the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite led all three benchmarks to their highest levels in six weeks. Strong earnings from S&P 500 companies — particularly heavy-hitting tech stocks like Netflix Inc.
NFLX,
and Tesla Inc.
TSLA,
— have helped to bolster sentiment, prompting wary investors to jump back into the market en masse, market strategists said. The Dow Jones Industrial Average
DJIA,
gained 162.06 points, or 0.5%, to 32,036.90. The Nasdaq Composite
COMP,
closed 161.96 points, or 1.4%, higher at 12,059.61. The S&P 500
SPX,
climbed 39.05 points, or 1%, to 3,998.95. For the Nasdaq, Thursday marked the first time since late May that the index advanced by 1% or more for three consecutive sessions.
