• The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 98.67 points, or 0.4 percent, to 24,922.68, the S&P 500 gained 17.25 points, or 0.64 percent, to2,713.06 and the Nasdaq Composite added 58.63 points, or 0.84 percent, to 7,065.53.
The S&P 500 index rose above 2,700 for the first time on Wednesday and other major indexes hit record closing highs as technology stocks climbed after signs of robust economic growth.
• The Cboe Volatility Index, better known as the VIX and a popular options-based gauge of expected near-term price volatility, closed at 9.15, just shy of its record low close of 9.14 on Nov. 3.
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• Major Asian markets traded higher on Thursday, following the stronger lead seen on Wall Street. Investors in the region will also keep an eye on Caixin's China services and composite PMI later in the morning after the Caixin manufacturing PMI beat estimates and the country's official PMI met expectations.
Japan's Nikkei 225 popped at the open, jumping 2.04 percent as markets there opened for their first day of trade after a long New Year weekend. Most sectors were in positive territory, with financials, technology and automakers higher across the board. Toyota rose 2.07 percent and Honda climbed 2.12 percent. Heavyweight SoftBank Group rose 3.12 percent.
Meanwhile, the Kospi tacked on 0.24 percent as most tech names traded higher in the early going, likely supported by the sector gaining during the U.S. session. Samsung Electronics rose 0.62 percent and SK Hynix jumped 1.93 percent.
Reference: Reuters, CNBC
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