US stocks end in green, hit fresh record high

US stocks closed Thursday in the positive territory, hitting a fresh record, following the release of positive data that boosted investor confidence in the economic outlook. Markets also tracked the ongoing second-quarter earnings season.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 0.52%, or 229 points, to 44,282.

The S&P 500 added 0.54%, or 33 points, to 6,297, scaling a fresh record high.

The Nasdaq Composite Index gained 0.74%, or 153 points, to 20,884. The index closed at a record level for the tenth time this year.

The Stoxx Europe 600 index advanced 0.95% to 547.03 points, demonstrating positive performance in most sectors.

Germany’s DAX jumped 1.5% to 24,370 points. France’s CAC 40 climbed 1.3% to 7,822 points. Similarly, UK’s FTSE 100 inched up 0.50% to 8,972 points.

Moreover, Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.60% to 39,901 points, with the broader Topix index edging up 0.7% to 2,839 points.

In the oil market, Brent crude futures for September delivery rose by 1.46%, or $1, to $69.52 a barrel.

WTI crude futures for August delivery increased by 1.75%, or $1.16, to $67.54 a barrel.

As for gold, September futures for the yellow metal fell by 0.41%, or $13.80, to $3,345.30 per ounce at settlement.

Official data released today showed that US retail sales rose by 0.6% month-on-month to $720.1 billion in June, beating expectations of a 0.2% increase.

Separately, data revealed that initial jobless claims in the US fell by 7,000 to 221,000 last week, marking the lowest level since mid-April.